> A first step would be to revise our attitude toward immigration in cities. Instead of seeing immigrants as aliens, we should welcome their fresh perspectives,

> A first step would be to revise our attitude toward immigration in cities. Instead of seeing immigrants as aliens, we should welcome their fresh perspectives, their wealth of new cultural traditions — and yes, their cash infusions. London has a long history of welcoming immigration, and is currently extremely welcoming of wealthy immigrants in particular. Housing density is always rising. New buildings are always going up, and existing buildings are frequently being turned into flats. This welcoming behaviour has done nothing to prevent even reasonably well-off natives being priced out of the city. > The only crime is in sacrificing one to make way for the other. There's no real suggestion here. How does one avoid this sacrifice? Builders of new flats in London are required to offset their luxury accommodation with some "affordable housing", as an attempt to prevent this sacrifice. This has not yet worked. Not-so-wealthy immigrants to London find themselves either in substandard housing, or just not-very-good housing in the outer zones. Natives find themselves living with their parents until they're 40, or leaving the city altogether. I would say that the only way to ensure that gentrification has a positive effect for all involved is to be more welcoming of actual immigration, but less welcoming to cash-only immigration. The rental and flipping markets are out of control. There is a surplus of big-money cash buyers pricing those on normal incomes out of the homebuying market, whilst charging ever-increasing rents to their tenants (which further reduces said tenants' abilities to escape the rental market, and eventually forces them out to make way for wealthier tenants). Tipping the balance in favour of renters rather than lessors would help this. Rent controls; making eviction harder; preventing homebuying by non-residents; increased taxes on empty properties. All these would slow house price rises and allow people who don't own a Russian utility company to stay in London for longer.