Resistance to gentrification and displacement in the inner-city neighbourhood of Woodstock, Cape Town

Abstract

Gentrification is increasingly being associated with homelessness and the displacement of working-class residents. This has led to people contesting gentrification and seeking solutions that mitigate against displacement. However, there have been few in-depth studies on resistance to gentrification until recently, particularly in South Africa, as there was a tendency for researchers to focus on debates over the causes and the effects of gentrification. Another reason for the "invisibility" of resistance to gentrification in the literature is that it often takes the form of everyday less visible, micro practices of resistance, rather than more overt mass urban movements. The aim of this study is to document and describe the various ways in which resistance to gentrification and displacement has taken place in the inner-city neighbourhood of Woodstock, Cape Town. A qualitative, case-study approach was used as this method allows for an in-depth examination of a particular case. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 long-time residents of Woodstock, and it was found that they use both formal, visible and informal, less visible strategies for resisting gentrification and displacement. Although some of these strategies were not always successful in preventing the participants from being evicted from their homes, they did help to highlight their plight. The housing needs of the poor need to be urgently addressed, so that the long-time residents of Woodstock are not displaced from their homes and torn from their rich cultural heritage and social networks. Alternatives to gentrification therefore need to be proposed and put into action, so that the poor and the vulnerable are not relocated to the periphery of Cape Town as was done during apartheid