Abstract

This paper discusses state interventions concerning the urban renewal of a poor working-class neighbourhood in North Amsterdam - Van der Pekbuurt. These interventions are often studied from a perspective of state-sponsored gentrification, in which the (local) state functions as driver for urban transformation. Here, policies are not limited to restructuring the housing market and the physical and social renewal of ‘problem neighbourhoods’ but also include cultural policies, in particular the creation of cultural amenities for the creative urban middle-class. Our analysis shows that these policies contribute to a discourse of ‘natural’ development of Van der Pekbuurt from a working-class neighbourhood to a gentrification neighbourhood, while the local government invests in the development of a middle-class, culturalcreative aesthetic that closely matches the wishes of local developers. Due to the dominance of this symbolic frame, the perspectives of non-middle-class residents are ignored and the legitimacy of their presence in the neighbourhood is undermined. In contrast to the creative middle-class, however, these residents experience a lack of support for their position.

How to Cite:

Hoekstra, M., Van Gent, W. & Boterman, W., (2018) “Kwartiermaken als symbolische politiek in overheidsgestuurde gentrificatie”, Sociologos 39(3), 242–262. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86980