Contesting Neoliberal Urbanism - Comparing processes of protests in de Jordaan, Prenzlauer Berg and Harlem

Abstract

This thesis explores three cases of contestation to neoliberal urbanization, in de Jordaan in the 1970s, Prenzlauer Berg in the 1990s and Harlem in the 2010s. Even though these protests, over the long haul, did not make the impact they intended to make, they did succeed in slowing down the process of neoliberal development within cities or neighborhoods. This is important for providing a more gradual, sometimes even unnoticeable process of displacement, as opposed to the sudden and drastic process of displacement which is very often a consequence of neoliberal rezoning plans. Using the method of comparative process tracing, the three cases are compared in order to find out which aspects of the processes have made these protests successful. In all three cases, the local government created a rezoning plan for the respective neighborhood, after which protests sparked. However, in all three cases, the bottom-up protests against these plans caused for an alternative urban path, as opposed to the neoliberal urban path, to be chosen. How that happened, through what social mechanisms, is one of the most significant conclusions that derive from this research. Not only is concluded that participatory instruments can be very helpful though are not necessary; the comparison has also shown how vital it is to have one organization leading the protests, and for the protests to be inclusive, well-organized and motivated by a feeling of community identity.