[kraken] Fighting gentrification in 't Blijvertje, 18 sept, 20.30

Auteur: Kraakgroep Oosterparkbuurt <oosterparkbuurt@gmail.com>
Datum: 11 sep 2007 14:55 uur

beste iedereen,
hieronder een uitnodiging. De volledige tekst en de stukken die erbij horen
staan op Indymedia
(http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2007/09/47002.shtml). Stuur vooral door naar
andere geinteresseerden.

Fighting gentrification

*What is gentrification? How do people fight against it? What are the
alternatives to gentrification?*

A presentation by, and debate with, Tom Slater.

'Gentrification' is a popular term for housing activists outside the
Netherlands. No other concept seems to capture so well the class dimension
of housing politics since gentrification refers very directly to the
transformation of working class neighborhoods into higher class
neighborhoods. And yet Dutch housing activists rarely talk about
gentrification. They either do not know about the concept or they consider
it too vague and too academic to describe the grim realities of neoliberal
urban policies.

However, this evening's presentation is based on the premise that we have a
lot to learn from research on gentrification. We will examine the different
guises of gentrification in different parts of the world. In
Istanbulgentrification is sometimes achieved by bulldozing illegalized
settlements
and in Amsterdam it is often done with a bit more subtlety through *
splitsing* and *herstructuring*. Although there are important differences
within and between these different contexts, an international comparison may
show that we may be dealing with a single phenomenon: gentrification is a
global urban strategy, as Neil Smith put it.

But more importantly, we will discuss resistance against gentrification. Tom
Slater researched such resistance around the world and will talk about the
various ways in which people have fought against displacement, rent
increases and evictions. Activists from different parts of the world will
respond to Slater's presentation. We will make sure to address the recent
plans of the Dutch government to transform
*achterstandswijken*(disadvantaged neighborhoods) into
*prachtwijken *(beautiful neighborhoods). It seems almost insane to argue
against a policy that wants to create *prachtwijken* but there is reason to
fear that this is just the newest way of legitimizing and promoting
gentrification. If so, then how can we try to find alternatives? Is it
ambitious enough to fight gentrification or can we promote an alternative
understanding of what, exactly, is a 'beautiful' or just city?

't Blijvertje, Derde Oosterparkstraat 64h, Amsterdam, 18 September 2007,
20.30. An activity organized by the Amsterdam working group of international
housing activists

For the complete announcement and two papers on gentrification, see:

http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2007/09/47002.shtml
<http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2007/09/47002.shtml>
ontvangsttijd Tue Sep 11 12:55:40 2007