Not the bulldozers but the money. Producing space in a gentrified neighborhood: A case study of Woodstock

Abstract

As hipster coffee shops and galleries make their appearance all around the globe, gentrification is often understood as a proces of positive urban renewal. Since gentrification is inextricably linked to the neoliberal city, there is a danger of it being understood as a socially and culturally universal phenomenon. This thesis shows that, as Lefebvre (1991) argues, space is produced in relation to social relations and is highly defined by conext-dependent circumstances. This is analyzed in a case study of Woodstock, a typical gentrified neighborhood in Cape Town. The recent apartheid history of South Africa makes its urban space an interesting terrain to study the social construction of urban space.