ONCE UPON A TIME… THERE WAS A CREATIVE CITY - Citizens and cultural places in the gentrifying city: Dordrecht

Dordrecht’s ambition is to become a creative city. Linked to the creation of creative cities is the process of gentrification. Gentrification is the production of space which in the case of the creative cities means that the arts and culture are the first initiators of the gentrification process. They seems to make a city look nicer, as artists and cultural places transform decayed historic neighbourhoods through their aesthetic appreciation. Yet, this transformation of neighbourhoods brings another phenomenon into movement which is the attraction of the creative class and the displacement of citizens who are in precarious social positions. This research focuses on the city of Dordrecht which exemplifies a peripheral city that experiences the spillover effects of the city of Rotterdam’s gentrification process. This means that Dordrecht needs to deal with the arrival and displacement of classes in their own way. However, it seems that the city pursues the gentrification process to achieve its dream of becoming a creative city. So, cultural places and citizens in Dordrecht need to deal with the ambition of the city in their own way. This research attempts to answer the following question: How do citizens from different neighbourhoods in Dordrecht express their relation with the gentrification process through the production and consumption of cultural places in the city? To sample respondents from and acquire an understanding about the gentrification process, this research utilises two different case studies, which are the Popcentrale and Het Vogelnest. For this research 14 semi structured interviews are executed to unravel the reality of the citizens in relation to the gentrification process. The type of respondents interviewed differs from coordinators to volunteers and visitors. The research results showed that the Popcentrale has been part of the gentrification process since the existence of the organisation. Moreover, the Popcentrale itself is fulfilling this role as an initiator of the gentrification process through future projects that deal with youth in precarious social positions. The experiences of visitors and volunteers of the Popcentrale in relation to the gentrification process were reflected in the ambiance, relocation of the organisation and the aesthetics of the basement of the Popcentrale. The mission of Het Vogelnest exemplifies a more nuanced position towards the gentrification. Through the coffee bar, Het Vogelnest tries to emancipate the neighbourhood which seems to be an attempt to delay the gentrification process. The experiences of visitors and volunteers of Het Vogelnest were reflected in the aesthetic transformations of the neighbourhood by Het Vogelnest, the concept design of ‘Het buurtbakkie’ and the possibility for residents of the Vogelbuurt to socialise with other neighbours. This research concludes that the Popcentrale and Het Vogelnest deal differently with the ambition of the municipality of Dordrecht. The Popcentrale seems to be more part of the gentrification process, whereas Het Vogelnest attempts to secure its critical position towards gentrification.