17 Sep Report: Cities for All Conference, Stockholm, April 2018

The Session on how Small Cities/Large Towns could be impacted by Gentrification was of particular interest.

It is accepted that the unintended consequence of successful placemaking initiatives in a less attractive neighbourhood could be that it contributed to and incentivised new regeneration projects which ultimately could result in a process of gentrification. The argument can also be made for placemaking to be recognised as a barrier to gentrification if it contributes to social cohesion and supports building the capacity of local communities.

The session focused on three trends namely:

1. The crisis in affordable housing and displacement exacerbated by gentrification of city neighbourhoods especially in larger cities

2. The emigration from smaller cities to larger cities especially in the case of young people seeking better opportunities

3. The value of community-led placemaking to create local attachment and promote social cohesion both in large and small cities.

Three presenters, Michael Mehaffy, Juliet Kahne and Tina Vilfan elaborated on these trends. Thereafter followed an ‘Ideas Café’ where session participants shared their ideas on these topics and specifically on Placemaking to support attachment to place in towns and neighbourhoods.

The report on the session was written by the moderator, Wessel Badenhorst.