filtering down

The movement of progressively less affluent individuals into housing stock. It is suggested that the rich move away from the city to newly built houses because their old houses are out of date, difficult to maintain, or surrounded by types of land use which are not appealing. The next social and occupational class moves into the houses vacated by the rich. Homes are subdivided and passed on to successively poorer groups. This would be a major cause of inner city decline.

However, it is by no means true that only the rich move into new homes, as public housing schemes have attested. Many higher status housing areas have managed to withstand infiltration by poorer social groups. It is also the case that the well-off invade run-down areas, in the reverse process of gentrification.