Spatializing gentrification in situ: A critical cartography of resident perceptions of neighbourhood change in Vallcarca, Barcelona

Abstract

In this paper, we link the tools of critical cartography and cognitive mapping with more traditional gentrification studies in order to capture in situ the shifts associated with nascent processes of change in bodies, environment, and minds in Vallcarca, a liminal gentrifying neighbourhood of Barcelona, Spain. We ask: How do the simultaneous and conflicting ways that people shape, perceive, and respond to gentrification processes affect how space and place are politicized within global urbanization processes? We build our maps through an analysis based primarily on listening to a diverse range of residents and constructing with them a combined cartography of the perceived type, degree, and location of changes in the neighbourhood. The results reveal an important dual role for greening and tourism, a differential geography of perceived gentrification risk across different social groups, and a limited reach in terms of who perceives gentrification. These results have important implications for how space and place are politicized and de-politicized and offer guidance useful to grassroots efforts to combat gentrification and displacement.