G for Gentrification

Gentrification is a phenomenon of recent decades. The city is growing, and dilapidated, often industrial areas are being restored. The first cafés, art studios, alternative shops and wine bars start to appear. A formerly forgotten neighbourhood becomes attractive, increasing in value. The interest on the part of developers and the price per square metre are rising. The neighbourhood is changing, attracting new residents and the old ones often (involuntarily) leave because they can no longer afford to stay. The benefits of gentrification are certainly questionable. On the one hand, we have a physical transformation, which often entails the revitalisation of public space, the construction of new housing and more civic amenities. On the other hand, however, we risk the critical displacement of those on lower incomes and the associated loss of population diversity.

The third evening of the new Gen Prague programme series, which focuses on the current problems faced by Prague from the perspective of the humanities and social sciences, was devoted to this complicated topic. This time, the invitation sent out by presenters Pavel Borecký and Martin Kebza was taken up by Barbora Bírová, social anthropologist and Director of Platforma pro sociální (Social Housing Platform), Daniel Kajpr, an urban planner from the Karlín Group, and Luděk Sýkora, a social geographer from Charles University’s Faculty of Science.

D for Displacement

So how do experts see gentrification? "Gentrification may help to shape cities, but it is not a natural process. We really need to realise that gentrification is not the same as revitalisation. The city can be renewed in various ways. Gentrification is by no means inevitable," said Barbora Bírová.

Daniel Kajpr, on the other hand, pointed out the dynamics of the city as a living organism that is constantly changing. "The city is constantly evolving. Gentrification is a logical opportunity for us developers. In European cities, it is now common for development projects to guarantee the creation of a certain minimum number of municipal apartments. This is slowly happening here, too. The main priorities for developers are profit and sales. Regulation and clear conditions must come from politicians and the city," said Daniel Kajpr, urban planner with the Karlín Group. He also added that he considers suburbanisation to be a far greater problem in the development of the city, giving rise to a number of problems such as regular commuting to the city, i.e. higher traffic congestion, as well as higher infrastructure costs.

Geographer Luděk Sýkora, on the other hand, emphasised the social aspect of gentrification in his response to architect Daniel Kajper. "Gentrification is an opportunity, but it doesn't stop there. The primary concern is displacement. In order for something new to emerge, something original must always be lost. We're used to living in a society rife with inequality. Yet it’s a question of what we are still able to bear," he noted.

Karlín is the epitome of gentrification

When we talk about gentrification in Prague, we immediately think of Karlín. New glass houses, Rohanské nábřeží packed with foreign companies. Karlín underwent a massive transformation after the 2002 floods. Yet the transformation had been planned by developer Serge Borenstein a few years earlier. The floods, on the other hand, slowed down the dynamic development of Karlín for a while, but set in motion a spiral of political decisions whose consequences included the generous and even reckless privatisation of the local housing stock.

"However, the huge transformation of Karlín began back in the 1990s, when the factory complexes were closing down. Although the real process of gentrification, when we see the transformation of public space, services, and the disappearance of the Romani population, occurred after 2001. Corso Karlín, one of the district’s first conversions, dates back to that time. Many long-time residents did not stay on after the floods, as they had nowhere to live. The borough did not do enough to help them. Gentrification is not a spontaneous process, but a consequence of political decisions," says sociologist Barbora Matysová, who was in the front row at the discussion as an additional guest.

Daniel Kajpr had a different view of the situation: "Karlín was afflicted by some major social problems. It was almost an excluded neighbourhood. The houses there were in a very bad condition before the flood, many of them fell down. With the mass privatisation of urban apartments, we developers naturally jumped on the bandwagon. The city had no housing development strategy at the time."

The city builds the city

Nowadays, Prague has its Housing Development Strategy. The current political leadership, however, is hesitating to adopt its Action Plan, which is delaying the measures outlined by the strategy. According to the document, she says that at least 9,000 new municipal apartments are to be built by 2030. The Prague Development Company is responsible for their construction. But this is not a good choice, according to Kajper. "I'm not sure the city should be building. It's not an expert. Let's look at the enclave of municipal apartments in Černý Město, where all possible risk and vulnerable groups are concentrated in one place. Municipal apartments should be part of development projects," the urban planner thinks.

Other things that should help include the new law on housing support and the Tenants’ Initiative, which works to defend tenants against injustice, organises public meetings and resolves conflicts between individual tenants and their landlords.

Who's the worst off?

An opportunity for some, a threat for others. It is logically the weakest who are hit hardest by gentrification. Barbora Bírová, who heads up the Social Housing Platform, which has long been dedicated to advocacy and lobbying in connection with ending homelessness, says there are currently more than 22,000 people lacking adequate housing in Prague.

"Women over 65 make up a high-risk group that is not talked about, often ending up homeless or in various hostels. They are widows who have to face poverty. They have low incomes, struggle with rising rents or energy costs. This is definitely a sad phenomenon of the last six years. Nowadays, people very often die in or are born into undignified conditions. In the Czech Republic we also currently have some 61,000 homeless children. It never used to be like this," explained Barbora Bírová.

How do we get out of this? According to the guests, cooperation between the public sector, civil society and the private sector is essential. The city should play an active role in protecting the interests of all its residents. Long-term and stable legislation is important to enable the sustainable development of city districts with regard to the needs of all the city’s residents. "We live in a capitalist society; we have democracy and a market economy. Apartments are affordable today, but for whom? Just a few people. We do little to care for the others. In the Czech Republic, the role of the public sector has long been neglected. Private business won't make it happen. That's not its role. However, the role of public administration is extremely important. The city must be strong, have a clear vision and protect its residents," said social geographer Luděk Sýkora to round off the discussion.

Gen Prague continues

Gen Prague is a new discussion series that explores how Prague is experienced by different generations of its inhabitants and how current issues are viewed by the social sciences. It is presented by a geographer and an anthropologist. You can look forward to the continuation of the series in the autumn.

You can watch the full recording of the discussion here: