Gentrifiseringens flertydighet : En kulturvitenskapelig studie av endringer i to byområder i Berlin og Oslo.

Abstract

The thesis examines experiences of gentrification, an intricate process that we today can observe in many cities all over the world. Gentrification has a strong influence on physical, economical as well as sociocultural aspects of urban environments. Thus it has an impact on how city inhabitants perceive their surroundings. In this context the dissertation gives voice to people living in gentrifying areas such as Kreuzberg SO36 in Berlin and Grønland and Tøyen in Oslo, focusing on their everyday experience at these places. With an aim to generate knowledge about the resident's attachment to their respective local settings, the study analyses their perception of the distinctive character of those places. Against this backdrop the focus turns to the resident's description of changes coming along with gentrification. This is done in order to come to an understanding of these kind of changes and the meaning they have regarding the resident's experience of their respective boroughs, and their attachment to them. The dissertation shows that people emphasize different aspects of gentrification. Despite signs of concurrence in both cities, the process emerges with specific local variations. Furthermore it becomes clear that the resident' s descriptions of change in their environments refer to certain aspects that are experienced differently in the two cities. Thus the process in Berlin is mainly seen according to existing problems connected to displacement. As such it appears as a predominantly challenging development. In Oslo residents point to positive as well as negative aspects of the changes happening in their local environment. At the same time they express a clear concern about displacement pressure. The study demonstrates how gentrification can be regarded according to experiences that reach beyond the individual' s point of view by being included in a wider local and translocal context. Such experiences say something important about the consequences of gentrification and highlight nuances that are often ignored in ongoing discussions about city life and city development. These are aspects that can play an important part in a more critical and constructive approach to problems related to gentrification.