'Ideas in Practice' seminar

Regeneration without gentrification? Challenges in transforming the urban space

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In recent years a great emphasis has been placed into the regeneration and rejuvenation of urban spaces. Cities around the Globe have been undergoing massive programmes of public and private expenditure that have transformed their structure. Entire areas have been transformed and redeveloped, with derelict and partially abandoned neighbourhoods becoming attractive residential and commercial venues. While such process has proven to be successful in a series of cases, in other it had serious consequences on the displacement of the original communities living in the areas in favour of groups from different social classes. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as “neighbourhood gentrification” and it has been documenting having a great impact on the authentic identity of the neighbourhoods and its inhabitants.

Hence, two question arise: are there viable strategies to rejuvenate neighbourhoods without gentrifying them? Can local councils, businesses, communities, developers, and academics cooperate for this sustainable rejuvenation?

This Ideas in Practice event has the purpose of putting together all the different stakeholders’ perspectives, starting from what has been done – or is currently ongoing – for the regeneration of cities to then move into possible future plans for cooperation.