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Spoiled Mixture: Where Does State-led `Positive' Gentrification End?

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  • Mark Davidson

    (Urban Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, Level 6, 34 Charles St, Parramatta, New South Wales, 2150, Australia, mark.davidson@uws.edu.au)

Abstract

Over the past decade, policy-makers have introduced social mixing initiatives that have sought to address urban social problems by deconcentrating poor and working-class communities through attracting the middle classes back to the city. Such a policy objective clearly `smells like gentrification'. However, some commentators have warned against being critical of these policies, pointing out that the types of inner-city redevelopment generated by them is different from classical gentrification and that state-led gentrification offers benefits for many working-class communities. This paper draws upon research conducted in London to demonstrate how, despite having many commendable aspects, these policy agendas carry with them significant threats of displacement for lower-income communities. The paper also argues that, due to the mutating nature of gentrification, these threats are increasingly context-bound. In conclusion, the paper argues that those state mechanisms which might manage the unjust aspects of gentrification are inadequate.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Davidson, 2008. "Spoiled Mixture: Where Does State-led `Positive' Gentrification End?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 45(12), pages 2385-2405, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:45:y:2008:i:12:p:2385-2405
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098008097105
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jason Hackworth & Neil Smith, 2001. "The changing state of gentrification," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 92(4), pages 464-477, November.
    2. Tom Slater, 2006. "The Eviction of Critical Perspectives from Gentrification Research," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 737-757, December.
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    5. Mark Davidson & Loretta Lees, 2005. "New-Build ‘Gentrification’ and London's Riverside Renaissance," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 37(7), pages 1165-1190, July.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Michael Parzer & Florian J. Huber, 2015. "Migrant Businesses And The Symbolic Transformation Of Urban Neighborhoods: Towards a Research Agenda," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(6), pages 1270-1278, November.
    3. Kate S. Shaw & Iris W. Hagemans, 2015. "‘Gentrification Without Displacement' and the Consequent Loss of Place: The Effects of Class Transition on Low-income Residents of Secure Housing in Gentrifying Areas," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(2), pages 323-341, March.
    4. Versey, H. Shellae, 2018. "A tale of two Harlems: Gentrification, social capital, and implications for aging in place," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 1-11.
    5. David J. Madden, 2014. "Neighborhood as Spatial Project: Making the Urban Order on the Downtown Brooklyn Waterfront," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 471-497, March.
    6. Megan Nethercote, 2017. "When Social Infrastructure Deficits Create Displacement Pressures: Inner City Schools and the Suburbanization of Families in Melbourne," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(3), pages 443-463, May.
    7. Rodney D. Green & Judy K. Mulusa & Andre A. Byers & Clevester Parmer, 2017. "The Indirect Displacement Hypothesis: a Case Study in Washington, D.C," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 44(1), pages 1-22, June.
    8. Ruth Lupton & Crispian Fuller, 2009. "Mixed Communities: A New Approach to Spatially Concentrated Poverty in England," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 1014-1028, December.
    9. Michael Janoschka & Jorge Sequera & Luis Salinas, 2014. "Gentrification in Spain and Latin America — a Critical Dialogue," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(4), pages 1234-1265, July.

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