Faculty of Humanities School of Design and the Built Environment Shifting Neighbourhood Dynamics and Everyday Experiences of Displacement in Kreuzberg, Berlin Adam Crowe 0000-0001-6757-3813 THIS THESIS IS PRESENTED FOR THE DEGREE OF Doctor of Philosophy of Curtin University November 2020 Declaration I hereby declare that: I. the thesis is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy II. the research is a result of my own independent investigation under the guidance of my supervisory team III. the research presented and reported in this thesis was conducted in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007). The proposed study received human research ethics approval from the Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (EC00262), Approval Number HRE2017-0522 IV. the thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgement has been made V. this thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university Signature: Adam Joseph Crowe Date: November 12, 2020 ii Abstract This research explores the socio-spatial impacts of shifting housing and neighbourhood dynamics in the gentrifying neighbourhoods of Kreuzberg, Berlin. The locality represents a prime example of an inner-city locality that has been reimagined and transformed by a series of powerful actors including, but not limited to, an increasingly financialised real-estate sector, a tourism industry promoting Kreuzberg as a destination for higher-income groups, and a city-state government embracing and promoting entrepreneurial approaches to urban governance. The scale and intensity of these contextual forces of change, present a suite of challenges to Kreuzberg’s remaining long-standing residents who, in spite of mounting pressure, have managed to remain in place. Within this context, this thesis examines the intersecting forces driving urban re-structuring with a focus on the socio-spatial implications of gentrification and tourism growth across residential space. Through a critical political economy lens, a multi-method bottom-up research design was developed to critically investigate processes of exclusion impacting on long-standing residents. The conceptual framework incorporated a respatialised theory of displacement to consider the cumulative material, sensory and longer temporal dimensions of the process and to identify the various ways displacement can be experienced beyond the momentary event of spatial expulsion. The study combined 26 semi-structured interviews with long-standing residents & key informants, 18 months of participant observation, and a survey of 208 participants attending a weekly neighbourhood event. To complement the qualitative investigation, a document analysis of housing policy, short-term rental (Airbnb) listings, demographic data, as well as a range of grey literature, was used to frame, substantiate and further investigate key themes identified within the qualitative data corpus. The research findings are presented in four empirical chapters which collectively demonstrate multiple modalities of displacement operating at various scales and intensities. The first chapter explores the shifting housing dynamics of Kreuzberg, interrogating the responses of long-standing residents to a series of regulatory instruments intended to buffer the impact of housing inequality in a locality where 95 per of households reside in social or private rental housing. The focus then shifts to the neighbourhood scale and the experiences of long-standing residents to the influx of wealthier populations and real-estate capital altering the socio-cultural balance and dominant use of neighbourhood space. Thirdly the findings examine the recent expansion of urban tourism in Kreuzberg that has created a complex set of socio-spatial tensions at both the dwelling and neighbourhood scale. Lastly, an in-depth case study on the privatisation and refashioning of Markthalle Neun is presented as a way of exploring contestations produced as the neighbourhood market hall transitions along gentrified lines. iii A complex interrelationship between classical interpretations of gentrification and urban tourism underscores the contextual forces of change documented in the empirical chapters. Importantly, the research shows how processes of gentrification and touristification coalesce, transforming space and consequently intensifying experiences of displacement. In this regard, the qualitative-driven inquiry illuminates multiple modalities of displacement related to housing expulsion and exclusion, as well as insidious aspects of displacement disclosed through escalating living costs, the disappearance of pivotal neighbourhood resources & meeting places, and the erosion of place-based and deep-rooted social bonds and networks. Collectively, these aspects can contribute to an ongoing sense of loss, dispossession and exclusion from everyday neighbourhood life. At its core, this research contributes to emerging scholarship calling for urban displacement to be understood beyond the spatial practice of out-migration, and as a nuanced, multidimensional process of material and psycho-social impacts rupturing between people and place across varying contexts, scales and temporalities. iv Acknowledgements I respectfully acknowledge the First Nations People as the traditional custodians of the Australian continent and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. I pay my deepest respects to ancestors and members of their communities, past and present. I am sincerely thankful for the financial assistance that supported this research through an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship and a Curtin Research Scholarship (CRS). I am deeply grateful to Shaphan Cox and Amanda Davies for supervising this research and for offering their time, encouragement and critical insights throughout my entire PhD journey. Their knowledge and guidance significantly shaped my approach to this project, for which I will be eternally grateful. I would like to thank the entire Geography team at Curtin University for inspiring, encouraging and challenging me over the last four years. The ideas presented in this thesis have been clarified and sharpened throughout many thought-provoking conversations both on- and off-campus. I also extend my gratitude to Amity James and Steven Rowley at the AHURI Curtin Research Centre for providing me with the incredible opportunity to participate in cutting edge housing research. A sincere thank you to Karen Crowe, Colin Crowe and Sidar Gummus for reviewing chapter drafts and offering constructive feedback and astute comments. I would also like to thank Christopher Schroder for lending his ArcGIS expertise to assist with the maps presented in this project. This thesis would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my family and friends. I am honoured to be a part of all of your lives. With deep love and gratitude, I thank Yana Bencheva, who has provided me with more love, support and patience than I can articulate. I could not have completed this thesis without her continual guidance and input throughout all phases of this project, while always encouraging my curiosity and willingly engaging in robust conversations about Kreuzberg and innumerable geographical topics. I dedicate this thesis to the residents of Kreuzberg who shared their time and experiences with me. v In loving memory of my grandfather, Jim Lewis, who sadly passed away to Covid-19 in November 2020. May he, and the millions lost due to the pandemic, rest in peace. vi Contents Declaration ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ..............................................................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................ v Contents ............................................................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures...................................................................................................................................................... xi List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................................... xiii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations................................................................................................................. xiv List of Key German Terms ................................................................................................................................. xv Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Urban processes of change .................................................................................................................... 2 Research approach ................................................................................................................................ 6 Aims