Gentrification developing city districts in a socially responsible manner
Gentrification describes that process of upgrading of districts/residential quarters which goes hand in hand with the displacement of the local residents and companies as a result of fast-rising rents and property prices. All prospering cities both in Germany and elsewhere currently face this issue or similar problems.
Gentrification can therefore also be described as the result of a shift in the appreciation of downtown urban areas in economically prosperous regions. From an urban development and ecological point of view this kind of population growth is essentially regarded as positive as it helps foster compact cities with short commutes.
In Frankfurt/Main, the first wave of gentrification took place as early as the 1970s. There are indications that some quarters are experiencing a second wave at present. In particular, areas close to downtown are feeling great pressure to upgrade facilities. The continuing influx of residents (the population is estimated to grow to 724,000 by 2030), tension in the housing market, a surge in rents (in particular in areas close to downtown) and high property prices (strong price and sales increases in the residential property market) along with the conversion of rented accommodation into owner-occupied apartments have given cause for concern to many people, who are worried that they may lose their homes and familiar neighborhoods.
Achieving a balance in urban development
However, the focus on gentrification must not distract from those areas that are moving in the opposite direction, developing problems that call for special remedial action. It is equally the city planners’ responsibility to stabilize those quarters that have a considerable need for renewal. Enhancing facilities, in particular as part of promoting urban development in these quarters, is explicitly desired or required and therefore receive funding.
As long ago as the end of 2011, the Dept. of Planning hosted a specialist conference on the issue of gentrification. The aim of the symposium was to demonstrate requirements, processes and results of gentrification and illustrate current strategies and control mechanisms. Moreover, it provided an opportunity to present and discuss current research, experience gained in other cities, and alternative perspectives. Speakers with backgrounds in the business world and in planning administration from the cities Nuremburg, Hamburg, Berlin and Munich were invited to exchange ideas on the subject. The symposium was also attended by representatives of the City Council and Municipal Departments along with representatives of the housing industry, not-for-profit associations and initiatives.
Strategy at two levels
The event demonstrated that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to handling the negative impact of upgrading and gentrification processes. It is crucial that we better get to know and understand what causes such processes and how they evolve, for example when the intended enhancement turns into non-intentional displacement. Only in this way can effective control mechanisms be developed and mistakes prevented.
A strategy that will handle gentrification processes successfully thus needs to address the issue on two levels: First, in existing quarters that are affected the strategy must cover a set of measures, such as issuing statutes to protect social environments or granting rights of preemption to the local authority. Second, it has to ensure that in an expanding city, additional residential areas and new dwellings (including social housing units) are built to accommodate new residents and meet the increased demand for residential space.
Additional information
Documentation has been published on the event, including the speakers’ presentations as well as the questions raised there and the answers given, It forms the basis for future work within the administration and political committees as well as with citizens and initiatives.
The City Executive has issued milieu protection statutes in order to dampen undesirable pressure to change in specific quarters of the city through exaggerated upgrading processes.
Preservation statutes as per section 172 (1) sentence 1 no. 2 of BauGB, the German Construction Code, seek to protect the composition of a specific urban quarter’s inhabitants in order to prevent intensified crowding out and further reduction in mixed population structures. Alongside the individual consequences for the groups of inhabitants in question, the process can be expected to have disadvantageous impacts on urban development for the city, too.
These urban planning statutes to preserve the composition of inhabitants in specific quarters of the city as per section 172 (1) no. 2 BauGB can be consulted online by clicking planAS the planning information system.
For further information on milieu protection please consult the information given online by the Frankfurt Buildings Inspectorate and the Dept. of Housing (central section: Tenant Protection).