Lost in urban regeneration: How can we organise against gentrification in European cities?

Speakers: Căși sociale ACUM/Social Housing NOW (Cluj), Bond Precaire Woonvormen (Netherlands), Stop Evictions Vienna, DAL (France), Habita (Lisbon), Habitaçao Hoje (Porto), Ort till Ort (Sweden), United Initiative against Auctions (Athens), Moderator: Oana Pop

The phenomenon of the capitalist restructuring of cities and the commodification of housing is problematic throughout Europe. Although local conditions are very different, struggles are linked across borders. At this event, comrades from several cities explained how gentrification or so-called “urban regeneration” affects housing affordability in their cities, what is lost as a result of these processes and who benefits, how the built environment is changed along with the social structure of the inhabitants, how public authorities collaborate with (property market) capital in these processes, and how activist groups respond to these phenomena. They also presented their approaches to organisation and response, which reflect the social and political conditions of their geographical areas. Resistance has an impact on current politics and makes it possible to move from the current dystopia to another world.