Gentrificación como política pública en una ciudad provincial: El caso de la ciudad de Leeds en el Reino Unido

Abstract

This article analyses gentrification processes in a mid-sized city in Northern England. This case study of Leeds helps us to “provincialize” the study of gentrification by focusing on a city that is not at the center of global capitalism, but rather is a provincial city. Our aim is to capture the specificities of gentrification in this city at the same time as contextualizing them in the wider frame of neoliberal urbanism. To do that we focus on four variables: scale and positioning, relational cities, the role of the State and its oposition. From this analysis we identify four gentrifi- cation trends in Leeds: city living, commercial gentrification, studentification and social mixing. We follow a qualitative methodology that looks critically at public policies and an action research approach through our involvement with community groups. Our conclusion is that gentrification in Leeds functions strongly as a policy objective but it is still incipient, unfinished or has failed.