Gentrification and Displacement From
an Eastern European Perspective.
A new
perspective.
The course “Honoursmodule: Urban Transformation, Gentrification and Inequality in Amsterdam” mostly discussed the phenomenon of gentrification in the context of Amsterdam and Western European cities.
​
However, the study of urban development has ventured beyond the West and behind the Iron Curtain after the fall of communist regimes in that part of the world. Thus, our project invites students to view the texts and concepts they encountered during the course from a new perspective - a post-socialist one.
The concept.
This website contains a photo diary - an urban geographer's collection of stories written from the perspectives of different people observing how their neighborhoods have changed during and after the fall of communism in their country.
​
The researcher's notes can be seen by clicking on underlined parts of the stories - this will take you to the bottom of each page where main concepts are contextualized and explained.
​
Therefore, while all information presented will be scientifically-backed, the consequences of gentrification on residents of post-socialist cities will come to the forefront.
To gentrify or not to gentrify?
Without a doubt, few debates in urban geography have been as fierce as that over gentrification and the degree to which it encompasses too much or not enough as an umbrella term. In the sparsely-researched context of post-socialist urbanization, this debate has sparked three main schools of thought.
We could look at post-socialist cities as ticking-time bombs bound to follow the western path of gentrification after the introduction of capitalism. On the other hand, we could also fairly contend that the label of post-socialism itself blinds us to historical, social and economic factors that shape an area’s development, and that, while gentrification could occur in these former communist cities, we would be looking at an entirely different beast than that seen in Western cities. Finally, we would also be within our rights to ask "What even is gentrification anymore?!". Once a term gets thrown around seemingly so easily and often, doesn’t it just lose all meaning? It might then be time to create new theories of urban development that more closely reflect the cities we see.
Unfortunately, this photo diary cannot provide a definitive answer to such questions. However, our hope is that is at least shines a spotlight onto the diverse world behind this post-socialist curtain and encourages more nuanced and inclusive conversations on what a gentrifying city looks like.
