Neoliberal multiculturalism in Dallas: The discursive foundations of diversity-led gentrification in an aspiring U.S. global city

Abstract

This article investigates the relationship between neoliberal multiculturalism and gentrification using a case study of the forthcoming Dallas International District. Informed by a conceptual framework considering neoliberal urbanism, the (aspiring) global city, and racial–ethnic identity, this article attempts to reveal the dominant discourses that lay the foundation for gentrification in the Dallas International District, an urban renewal project planned to be built atop a former freedmen's town. Rather than investigating gentrification after it has taken root in a specific location, this work investigates the discursive foundations of gentrification before it takes hold. This is accomplished through a discourse analysis of interviews with Dallas public officials, developers, and community members, as well as web sources. On the basis of these data, it is concluded that plans to redevelop the area foreshadow the gentrification of an existing Black and Latino population and that this planned gentrification is permeated by neoliberal discourses about multiculturalism that are entrenched in Dallas’ desires to transform itself into a global, world-class city.