Abstract
Gentrification is not only an economic process based on individual desires and decisions and independent of political goals, but also a process led or assisted by governments with economic development and national goals. In this work, we study a state-led ethno-gentrification in Acre, a contested city in the north of Israel. Looking beyond the neoliberal terminology of regeneration, we argue that in contested cities gentrification is an economic development policy often intertwined with national-demographic goals. Yet, while economic and national motivations and policies may reinforce one another, they also produce tensions among policy makers, gentrifiers and local residents. ‘State-led ethno-gentrification’ presents the complexity of the relationship between neoliberalism and nationalism in a contested city. Interviews conducted in Acre with policy makers, Jewish newcomers involved in the gentrification process and Arab residents present a complex picture of goals, interests and concerns, as well as contradictions and tensions.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2605-2622 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Urban Studies |
Volume | 58 |
Issue number | 13 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Oct 2021 |
Keywords
- Israel
- contested cities
- displacement/gentrification
- nationalism
- policy
- politics
- race/ethnicity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
- Urban Studies