City Children and Genderfied Neighbourhoods: The New Generation as Urban Regeneration Strategy

Abstract

Former industrial cities in the West are employing gentrification as urban policy. In these policies, women and families currently play an important role as gentrification pioneers. In my analysis of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, I propose the term genderfication to understand the gender dimensions of this process. Genderfication refers to the production of space for different gender relations. I analyse Rotterdam's urban planning program for becoming a ‘child-friendly city’, which entails replacing existing urban dwellings with new, larger and more expensive ‘family-friendly homes’ as a strategy for urban re-generation. Urban re-generation supplements regeneration in the form of material and economic restructuring, and refers to the replacement of part of the current population by a new and better suited generation. The ‘child-friendly city program’ is considered in tandem with punitive ‘youth policies’.