Urban Revitalization, Gentrification, and the Public Library: The Case of Lausanne, Switzerland

Abstract

Gentrification - a process of replacement of a poorer population in an urban neighborhood with a richer one and the change of the looks of this respective neighborhood - has become a widespread topic of societal debate in recent years. This process is connected to public art and cultural activities, and sometimes triggered by projects of urban revitalization by the respective cities. Public libraries are part of this process, as they are used in the concepts of urban revitalization as institutions of public culture. This puts them in an uneasy position, as they also become part in processes of repulsion of socially vulnerable groups. The text will discuss the position of public libraries in respect to gentrification, using the processes in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, as a case study.

Keywords

• Öffentliche Bibliotheken
• Stadterneuerung
• Gentrifizierung
• Public Library
• Urban Revitalization
• Gentrification