The Political Squatters’ Movement and Its Social Centres in the Gentrifying City of Rotterdam

Abstract

In this chapter, E. T. C. Dee examines the contexts, cycles and institutionalisation of the squatters’ movement in Rotterdam, through the lens of squatted social centres (SSCs). Despite the underground and subcultural nature of this movement, with the sizeable majority of squats being privately residential, SSCs are investigated as far as they are projects open to all, hosting events or organising activities. The author presents some individual cases of squats and discusses the issue of gentrification in the Bospolder district. The empirical information is gathered in a database that lists projects from the 1970s to the end of 2013.