From urban wastelands to new‐build gentrification: The case of Swiss cities

Abstract

Gentrification represents an important aspect of the transformation of socio‐demographic structures in many cities around the world. The definition of this concept has been extended in recent years to cover different processes of social upgrading and to incorporate a plurality of forms, protagonists, and spaces. The notion of ‘new‐build gentrification’ is part of this process of redefinition. Because of its strong connections with global socioeconomic trends, the adoption of regeneration and densification policies along with the emergence of numerous new urban districts, Switzerland offers a particularly interesting case in which to study this specific form of gentrification. In this paper, we first provide an assessment of the residential attractiveness of Swiss core cities for the middle to upper class. We then study new housing projects in Zurich and Neuchâtel. Our focus on the actors involved in these projects brings original results to the debates surrounding the driving forces behind new‐build gentrification. Empirical material is drawn from official statistics, questionnaires relating to inhabitant profiles, interviews concerned with the strategies of actors in the real‐estate market, and planning policy documents. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

New forms of gentrification: issues and debates

“…Davidson and Lees (2009), who coined the term 'new-build gentrifi cation' in 2005, argue that the concept should be elastic enough to cover the different forms of the class remake of the urban landscape. Rérat et al (2009) point out that an extended definition of the concept is heuristically profi table because it allows a better articulation between studies dealing with the mechanisms through which cities are revalorised.…”

“…A restrictive defi nition focuses on reclaimed brownfi elds or on in-fi ll developments on vacant lands (Rérat et al, 2009;Rose, 2009), whereas others also include the demolition/reconstruction of existing residential areas (Davidson and Lees, 2009;He, 2009). There are also hybrid forms such as the Aragon Tower in London, a building that has been totally refurbished and to which fi ve extra fl oors of penthouses have been added, which escape simple categorisations (Davidson and Lees, 2009).…”

“…It is described as a process through which the working class is displaced, be it literally or symbolically, through the loss of a 'sense of place'. In Swiss cities (Rérat et al, 2009), the classic gentrifi cation processes have not (yet?) been a major trend due to the structure of the housing market and its legal framework.…”

“…Developers in Toronto have, in other words, commodifi ed a certain feminist vision of urban life. In the case of Swiss cities, Rérat et al (2009) identify several kinds of actors (building companies, real estate companies, stock market-listed property funds, institutional investors, etc. ), each one with a specifi c rationale as to the building of new highstatus developments in core cities.…”

“…In some, local authorities are portrayed as playing an active part and 'state-led gentrifi cation' is considered to be the expression of a neoliberal urban agenda (Davidson and Lees, 2009;He, 2009;Kern, 2009;Van Criekingen, 2009). In papers discussing other contexts, a more nuanced image is given of the strategies of local authorities where they result from the consensus between different and sometimes confl icting requirements (Rérat et al, 2009;Rose, 2009). Here again the geography of gentrifi cation is at play and explains these different interpretations.…”