DECONSTRUCTING GENTRIFICATION

The Dialogue
A dialogue on history and gentrification – Suleiman Osman and Tim Verlaan 

The Empirical Papers 
Model/City – Linda Kopitz 
Interrogating the First Signs of Gentrification  – Remco Vermeulen 

The Visual Essay 
Capturing Gentrification – Sigi Samwel 

The Short Essays 
Resistance and Instigation – Sanci Koper  
The ‘Discovery’ of Gentrification – Sam van Donselaar and Simon Serné  

The Polyphonic Object 
'Genrestuk' by Albert Blitz (1975) – Wouter van Gent, Katerina Kalakidi, Billie Nuchelmans, Menno Reijven, and Emma van Bijnen 

The Long Essays 
Site-specific Performances and Community Activation – Benedetta Bronzini 
Stadtschmerz – Marianne Klerk 

The Polylogue 
A round table conversation on deconstructing gentrification - Tayfun Balçik, René Boer, Sophia Holst, Melissa Koutoutzis, and Elaine Michon  

For the second edition, AMJournal introduces the section of the ‘guest editor interview’ in the form of a dialogue between the editor and (another) renowned scholar in the field. For this edition, Tim Verlaan invited acclaimed scholar Suleiman Osman to discuss how and why history matters when investigating gentrification processes.

Keywords: History / Brownstoners / Brooklyn / Amsterdam / Agency

DOI doi.org/10.61299/3n_c141

Abstract

Between wooden blocks and miniature trees, open spaces and shared pathways, the architectural model of Sloterdijk (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) constructs a vision of green and collective living, which contrasts the lived reality of a neighborhood undergoing a rapid transformation from a largely industrial area to a ‘desirable’ urban neighborhood marked by luxury residential buildings. Architectural models are situated at a point of in-between, simultaneously charged with planning, representing, legitimizing, and – maybe most importantly – imagining an urban future. This article takes this special issue’s call to ‘deconstruct gentrification’ literally by focusing on the material construction of better green urban futures through architectural models. Simultaneously referencing and abstracting the (proposed) construction sites, I argue that recent architectural models for three (re)developments in Amsterdam – Sloterdijk, Zuidas, and Bajeskwartier – draw on an aesthetic of playfulness to counter criticism raised against the gentrifying effects of ‘sustainable’ urban planning.  

Keywords: Architecture / Sustainability / Play / Nature / Urban Planning 

Discipline: Media studies and Urban Studies 

DOI doi.org/10.61299/3n_c141

Abstract

Colonial remnants, like buildings, streets and canals, are the main attraction of Kota Tua, the historical inner city of Jakarta. Considering known gentrification theories, the restoration and reuse of historical buildings and revitalization of public spaces in the area indicates gentrification is starting to take place here. This article interrogates these first signs of gentrification in the historical inner-city of Kota Tua, and the extent to which four characteristics of the gentrification process manifest themselves in the area. This paper concludes that although some characteristics of the gentrification process are taking place in Kota Tua, there are also developments that counter this observation, adding to the academic discussion on whether the gentrification process in Kota Tua materializes, and what the future of this postcolonial urban area entails. 

Keywords: Gentrification / Heritage Conservation / Kota Tua / Jakarta / Indonesia

Disciplines: Urban Housing Development and Urban Heritage 

DOI doi.org/10.61299/c_h833k0 

Abstract 

Between 1853 and 1914, Paris (France), ‘the city of art’, underwent enormous changes due to the urban development plans of Baron Georges Haussmann. Although gentrification was coined in the 1960s by Ruth Glass, this Haussmannization’ of Paris shows multiple convincing similarities with contemporary forms of gentrification. Artists have been ascribed a rather ambivalent role in the gentrification process, as their presence in old, decayed, abandoned, or low-income neighborhoods was and is often seen as the first step towards gentrification. However, artists have also used their art to reflect on or even question gentrification. Especially photographers, whose discipline allows them to consciously curate and depict real life situations, have played an important role in capturing gentrification and its ramifications. Photographer Charles Marville (1813-1879) was commissioned by the state to document the neighborhoods that were demolished during the ‘Haussmannization’. Some forty years later, Eugène Atget (1857-1927) began photographing Parisian quarters that would be lost in urban planning. In this visual essay, the agency of photographers in (de)constructing gentrification is researched through an analysis of the work of Marville and Atget, discussing their objectives and styles and how these reflect the radical changes in Paris. The motivation of photographers seems to determine in what way their works represent gentrifying processes. 

Key words: Charles Marville / Eugène Atget / Haussmannisation/ Paris / Photography 

Discipline: Cultural Studies and Museum Studies 

DOI doi.org/10.61299/d_g744l5 

Abstract 

This essay focuses on the question of whether artists necessarily contribute to government-driven gentrification or if they can also resist local government policies. It describes the development of Amsterdam, characterized by government-driven gentrification and examines the paradoxical role that artists play within this process, as they can both resist and contribute to this urban transformation. While the government uses creativity and culture to make neighborhoods attractive to the middle class, squatters, for instance, oppose this by creating alternative, autonomous art projects in squatted buildings. The essay also historicizes the complex relationships between squatters, artists and gentrification processes by referencing newspaper articles from the 1990s. The essay concludes by stating that through combining art with squatting, artists can resist the neoliberal strategies employed by the government to promote gentrification. 

Keywords: Artists / Squatters / Neoliberalism / Activism 

Discipline: Art History, Art & Culture, and Politics  

DOI doi.org/10.61299/e_f655cx 

Abstract 

This paper examines the rise of gentrification in 1970s Amsterdam, based on coverage of the Jordaan neighborhood in Het Parool and a limited number of other Dutch newspapers. Although the term was not yet common at the time, newspaper articles from the 1970s already show a critical attitude toward social change in a working-class neighborhood. Far before policymakers were talking about it, journalists identified the negative effects of gentrification, such as rising rents and a loss of neighborhood identity. The resistance and criticisms of Het Parool and original residents bear striking similarities to contemporary criticisms on gentrification, as visible in the mocking and stereotyping of gentrifiers. Interestingly, developments in American cities were used as a frame of reference for Dutch newspapers in this regard. This exploration of the initial phase of gentrification in Amsterdam shows that both residents and journalists have always viewed the process of gentrification with suspicion. 

Keywords: Artists / Squatters / Neoliberalism / Activism 

Discipline: Newspapers / Jordaan / Reference Culture / Perception 

DOI doi.org/10.61299/f_e566a4 

Essay 1
By Billie Nuchelmans (History): Historian of architecture and urban planning. He is specialized in the urban history of Amsterdam, and interested, amongst other things, in the relationship between political movements and urban design. 

Essay 2
By Wouter van Gent (Geography): Geographer and associate professor at the Universiteit van Amsterdam. Last year, he published his book ‘Making the Middle-class City’ with Willem Boterman on the gentrification of Amsterdam between the 1980s and 2010s. 

Essay 3
By Katerina Kalakidi (Museum Studies): Student with an academic background in history and archaeology. Kalakidi is currently in the MA Museum Studies program at the University of Amsterdam.  

Essay 4
By Menno Reijven and Emma van Bijnen (Argumentation and Communication): Reijven is assistant professor of argumentation and communication in the Department of Dutch Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Van Bijnen a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam, as well as an independent researcher and writer with a doctorate in discourse and argumentation.

Keywords: Activism / Nieuwmarkt / Riots / Metro 

DOI doi.org/10.61299/g_d477r2 

Collection object

Abstract

The presence of site-specific theatre companies in the gentrified and overtouristic city-centre of Florence (Italy) as a form of counter-gentrification and of re-discovery of public spaces for the community is a phenomenon related to the last twenty years. This essay focuses on two specific case studies, i.e. the two local cultural associations and theatre companies Cantiere Obraz and Genius Loci Performance. On the one hand, Cantiere Obraz is rooted in the Florentine area of Oltrarno and focuses its practices on public spaces, especially green urban areas, involving teenagers and young adults. On the other side of the river Arno, the site-specific projects of Genius Loci Performance aim at rediscovering public architectures in a social perspective through workshops and immersive performances. This study benefits from the interviews conducted with the directors of both theater companies and with some of the performers of Genius Loci Performance. 

Keywords: Gentrification / Florence / Participatory Theatre / Activism / Site-specific Performance 

Discipline: Theatre Studies, Performance Studies, and Social Studies 

DOI doi.org/10.61299/h_c388g 

Abstract

This essay detects a genre of non-fiction, which it coins as Stadtschmerz. In this genre, middle class residents who experience alienation due to gentrification turn this experience into stories of loss and guilt (for being the target group of gentrification). This essay explores four canonical texts of Stadtschmerz from the mid-19th century to the present; the authors explore the gentrifying city as flâneurs and report on their findings in a feuilleton. As such, the essay shows how through expressing Stadtschmerz the middle-class attempts to cope with the making of the middle-class city. In this way, Stadtschmerz neutralizes the positionality of the writer and his readership within processes of gentrification. Furthermore, it offers readers voyeurism into the lives of the displaced lower classes. Lastly, Stadtschmerz processes middle-class anxiety amid gentrification. A deconstructive analysis of Stadtschmerz tells us that the experience of gentrification is above all a hot topic for the middle-class itself.  

Key words: Stadtschmerz, gentrification, middle-class, literature, poetry   

Disciplines: Urban history, Historical thought, Critical history 

DOI: doi.org/10.61299/i_b299zm

In this round table five expert participants discuss the process and effects of gentrification in Amsterdam, from their own perspectives and areas of expertise. 

Tayfun Balçik 

Journalist, historian and activist born in Amsterdam. Balçik is specialized in Turkish history and part ofThe Hague Peace Projects, which aims to improve discours between opposing groups of people. Through knowledge and personal experience, he is vocal on the racism and institutional discrimination in the Dutch housing system.

René Boer 

Critic, curator and organizer in and beyond the fields of architecture, design, heritage and the arts. He is a founding partner of Loom - practice for cultural transformation, and author of Smooth City: Against Urban Perfection, Towards Collective Alternatives.

Sophia Holst 

Architect and researcher, active within the architecture fields of Belgium and the Netherlands. She currently works on the foundations of an independent architecture- and research practice, in which critical urban theory and applied design are interwoven. 

Melissa Koutouzis   

Housing activist and co-founder of Woonprotest. She also works at the Transnational Institute where her work includes citizen collectives, campaigners, researchers, social movements and local governments working globally on democratization, deprivatization and a just energy transition. 

Elaine Michon  

Independent literary agent a member of the residents committee ‘Kleine Die’. For over five years, she has been working to keep the garden village in Nieuwendam livable, humane and quirky, despite the demolition plans of the company Ymere. And with success. Michon is also affiliated with Woonprotest and the working group of Lokaal FNV Amsterdam. 

Keywords: Consciousness / Empathy Fatigue / Biases 

DOI doi.org/10.61299/16a_p11