‘At least this is not a ghetto anymore’ Neighborhood perceptions of original residents in times of gentrification in the Afrikaanderwijk in Rotterdam

Abstract

Gentrification is a theme much researched in urban geography, but often the focus is on how gentrifiers and displaced people perceive gentrification. Furthermore, gentrification in ethnic neighborhoods is a theme not much researched. This thesis contributes to these gaps in the academic literature by focusing on residents that are able to stay in their neighborhood during and after the process by conducting a case study in the Afrikaanderwijk, an ethnically diverse neighborhood in Rotterdam. It deals with the question how residents living through gentrification perceive their changing neighborhood. The data is collected by qualitative methods; 21 semi-structured interviews with residents from different ages and ethnicities. They all lived in the neighborhood before the gentrification started. Three themes are researched: ‘public space and facilities’, ‘place attachment and identity’ and ‘values and common values with new residents’. Together these components lead to a vivid picture of neighborhood perception. Although residents had different feelings about gentrification, no one was principally against it. Most people liked some of the changes, while they disliked others. Nonetheless almost all residents thought it was good for the neighborhood, mainly because they hoped it would counter ethnic tensions. Overall, gentrification gives them hope that the Afrikaanderwijk would change for the better.