Studentification in Cities

by Darren Smith

Published 31 December 2023

Studentification is a global concept. The term now widely used to describe urban changes tied to the expansion of higher education and increasing populations of students. It represents one of the most prominent ‘spaces of youth’, and one that is highly influential in shaping subsequent phases of the wider lifecourses and spaces. While studentification has gathered increasing attention across the social sciences, this is the first book to provide an in depth documentation and analysis of the process.

Written by the leading expert on the topic, this book provides a theoretical account of the unprecedented growth and effects of (over)concentrations of students in towns and cities in a range of contexts. Drawing on UK and international examples, the book explores the relationships between the (re)production and regulation of studentified areas, student consumption, lifestyles and practices, and the effects on local communities. The broader significance of local examples is explored by placing studentification in the context of wider processes of urban restructuring and urban theories, and the neoliberalisation and internationalisation of higher education.

This seminal book has significant pertinence and impact on research, teaching, policy and practice at a national and international level. It will be of great interest to students, scholars and policy makers interested in youth, mobility, migration, economics, higher education, geography and sociology.