Kuala Lampur, March 15 -- Ever heard of 'gentrification'?

The root word is "gentry", which means people of high social class, especially in the past. If one was a member of the landed gentry, it meant he was one of those who owned a lot of land.

In simple words, the rich.

Coined by sociologist Ruth Glass 60 years ago (1964), "gentrification" was then used to describe neighbourhood change in inner London during the 1960s (London: Aspects of Change). It was the displacement of the working class as upper-class Londoners moved into their neighborhoods.

Glass wrote:

"[G]entrification goes on until all or most of the original working-class occupiers are displaced, and the whole social character of the district is changed."

Since then, a g...