Conflicts over the appropriation of urban resources in processes of upgrading and social mixing in inner-city residential areas

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Jan Wehrheim
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2018 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 389360901

The research project focuses on the intersection of urban policies of social mixing and processes of gentrification in inner-city neighborhoods. In urban research, the question of whether social mixing policies in deprived inner-city residential areas have positive effects on the social integration of underprivileged groups, or induce gentrification with negative effects such as displacement is controversially discussed. A major assumption of the planned project is that such different urban development processes and effects have to be conceptualized as constantly negotiated in conflictual interactions between different social groups – interactions, through which access to certain urban resources (like housing, neighborhood resources, social infrastructures, public space) can be gained or is obstructed. The research questions are: Which kinds of conflicts occur in different contexts and development processes of inner-city residential areas? How is access to and use of urban resources negotiated and realized? And what kind of experiences do underprivileged residents make and which strategies do they adapt to cope with different forms of displacement in these conflictual processes?The three main objectives of the research project are: Firstly, to systematically capture areas and forms of conflicts, and to develop a respective typology; secondly, to analyze the experiences, interpretations and strategies of underprivileged residents, who are especially threatened by displacement in its different forms; thirdly, to gain insights into the potential differences of these conflicts, interpretations and strategies in residential areas in which social mixing policies are applied but which differ in respect of housing market conditions and changes in the social structure of the inhabitants. Building on those findings, conclusions can be made on the impacts of social mixing policies in different residential areas, and, in a broader view, on the question of social integration or exclusion in the context of urban development.To work on these objectives, two inner-city residential areas with differing economic displacement pressure and development of the social structure are analyzed comparatively. Different research methods are combined in a qualitative approach: To deepen the knowledge about local urban development and the policies of social mixing in the two research areas, expert interviews and ethnographic walking tours are conducted. Afterwards, semi-structured interviews and focused ethnographic observations are applied to analyze situations of conflict and develop a typology. In a last step, in-depth Interviews featuring narrative and episodic elements are conducted with residents who are especially threatened by displacement in its different forms.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants