I don’t have the stats, but would be very surprised if the number of airbnbs, short terms, and vacant apartments was more meaningful than the number of wealthy folks moving in. But if it were the case, it’s somewhat fair to assume it’s the wealthy that own those properties. So I think you agree with GP more than disagree.
As the price of rent/mortgage increases, this becomes irrelevant. I may be wrong about AirBnB but if low income people are priced out of a city, and middle income people move in instead, however the price of housing is such that after rent/mortgage payment the middle income folks have about the same disposable income as the displaced people, the dynamics end up being the same, and the only difference to the class dynamics is that low income workers can now blame gentrification for their struggles.
The only rich folks in the gentrification scenario are still the landlords, and honestly I don’t think they are moving to the city and complaining about too much parking. (though I admit I agree with GP that they are probably the ones that are complaining about congestion and lack of parking)
