Demolition, Division and Displacement

Examining the Preservation of Whiteness in Rotterdam Municipal Housing Policy

Bibliographic Data

ID2371040
AuthorsMadeline C Arkins (0000-0003-4650-7213, corresponding author), Bonnie E French (0000-0002-0543-9392, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Year2024
Volume50
Issue1
Pages107-124
Publication date2024-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCritical Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0896-9205 • E-ISSN: 1569-1632
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/08969205231176837
OpenAlexW4378652675
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited40

Recent gentrification policies from the municipality of Rotterdam have involved the demolition of social housing, resulting in the displacement of migrant communities. These developments have been criticised by several United Nations Special Rapporteurs as violating the human right to adequate housing. Through qualitative content analysis of municipal policy documents and expert interviews, this article examines how whiteness is preserved in Rotterdam municipal housing policies between the years 2006 and 2022. Using critical race theory, this study identifies three key stages through which whiteness is preserved: in the conceptualisation of theories underpinning policies; the language codified in policy documents, and the implementation of the policy. This research offers a clear example of systemic racism today; how it operates through policies that villainize low-income migrants and justifies the maintenance of the status quo of racial hierarchy in Rotterdam

Civil engineering · Demolition · Economic growth · Economics · Gentrification · Political science · Public housing · Racism · Sociology · Status quo · Underpinning · Engineering · Gender Studies · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Public Administration · Urban Planning and Governance · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access