Is Europe’s gentrification problem getting worse, or better?
At a macro level, the former appears to be the obvious answer. With data from the European Union showing average house prices going up by more than 60 percent and rents by more than 20 percent in the past decade, the need for affordable and good-quality housing has never been more vital across a continent where 83 percent of people are projected to live in urban areas by 2050.
And after years of affordable and social housing initiatives, Airbnb restrictions and rent cap programmes — all of which have delivered questionable results — regeneration projects have continued to bear the brunt of the blame for Europe’s housing emergency.
At a deeper level, however, there are signs that gentrification is steadily losing its negative connotations, meaning Europe’s national politicians and technocrats may be late to this particular party.
In a report released in January 2026, called Unlockin
