Tourism Gentrification: The Case of New Orleans' Vieux Carre (French Quarter)

Abstract

This paper examines the process of 'tourism gentrification' using a case study of the socio-spatial transformation of New Orleans' Vieux Carre (French Quarter) over the past halfcentury. Tourism gentrification refers to the transformation of a middle-class neighbourhood into a relatively affluent and exclusive enclave marked by a proliferation of corporate entertainment and tourism venues. Historically, the Vieux Carre has been the home of diverse groups of people. Over the past two decades, however, median incomes and property values have increased, escalating rents have pushed out lower-income people and African Americans, and tourist attractions and large entertainment clubs now dominate much of the neighbourhood. It is argued that the changing flows of capital into the real estate market combined with the growth of tourism enhance the significance of consumption-oriented activities in residential space and encourage gentrification. The paper contests explanations that view gentrification as an expression of consumer demands, individual preferences or market laws of supply and demand. It examines how the growth of securitisation, changes in consumption and increasing dominance of large entertainment firms manifest through the development of a tourism industry in New Orleans, giving gentrification its own distinct dynamic and local quality.

Cultural Heritage and Urban Tourism: Historic City Centres under Pressure

“…Although there are some previous studies that explore the relationships between gentrification and tourism [49], the first major reference to tourism gentrification can be found in Gotham's article [50] on the Vieux Carré (French Quarter) in New Orleans. Subsequent discussions have delved into aspects like the dynamics of the property market associated with the growth in urban tourism; the role of local authorities, public urban regeneration initiatives and their connection with property promotion; residential displacement, which involves both emptying an area and replacing one kind of settler for another with more spending power; commercial gentrification, with the appearance of a new globally oriented commercial landscape; plus discourses on the "right to the city".…”

Neighbourhood change among creative–cultural districts in mid-sized US metropolitan areas, 2000–10

“…Although much has been written of the rise of cultural districts and creative/culture-led gentrification, the research in this area has heretofore been primarily qualitative or limited to specific case studies (e.g., Catungal et al, 2009;Gotham, 2005;Ley, 2003;Stern & Seifert, 2010;Tremblay & Battaglia, 2012;Zimmerman, 2008;Zukin & Braslow, 2011). Though other studies have examined neighbourhood change across multiple cities (Farrell & Lee, 2011;Wei & Knox, 2013), the broad scope of their analyses, generally involving a wide range of neighbourhood typologies, has yet precluded a detailed discussion of CCDs specifically.…”

Entre o fundamental e o contingente: dimensões da gentrificação contemporânea nas operações urbanas em São Paulo

“…2 Esta intensa produção acadêmica, todavia, tem gerado uma preocupação com a própria definição e uso do conceito. O debate divide-se entre uma definição original e mais restritiva -a transformação de unidades residenciais através de reformas feitas por novos moradores de um padrão socioeconômico mais elevado (Glass, 1989;Lambert e Boddy, 2002) -e uma percepção contemporânea e mais abrangente do processo que inclui usos, agentes e formas de intervenção espacial diversas, como estudos sobre gentrificação comercial (Chernoff, 1980), gentrificação turística (Gotham, 2005) e gentrificação global (Smith, 2002;Atkinson e Bridge, 2005 (Hall, 2002;Harvey, 1989b;Smith, 1996Smith, e 2010b. A falta de investimento nos bairros urbanos, por outro lado, transformou-os em uma opção habitacional para grupos empobrecidos, estabelecendo uma defasagem entre as potencialidades de extração de mais-valias do solo urbano se os mesmos fossem redesenvolvidos para um possível uso "melhor e mais valorizado", i.e., um gap imobiliário (Smith, 2010b propriedades no centro expandido com a população de baixa renda sendo historicamente expulsa para as periferias (Rolnik, 1997;Villaça, 1998 (Harvey, 1989a;Jameson, 1991 2) Elitização social com a expulsão de grupos vulneráveis: no conflito entre usos atuais e usos mais rentáveis, a gentrificação implica a elitização social, ou seja, um grupo imigrante com padrões socioeconômicos mais valorizados do que na atual configuração socioespacial.…”