VICARIO L, MONJE PMM (2003)

Another 'Guggenheim effect'? The generation of a potentially gentrifiable neighbourhood in Bilbao

URBAN STUDIES 40 (12): 2383-2400

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the relation between urban regeneration policies designed to restructure urban cores and the gentrification of deprived inner-city neighbourhoods via the example of Bilbao. The paper explores the socio-spatial consequences of the regeneration strategies undertaken during the 1990s and examines how, once the initial projects were well under way, the City Council identified new spaces for furthering the regeneration process. These include Bilbao La Vieja, the most deprived housing neighbourhood in the conurbation but strategically located next to the city centre. The paper discusses the possible consequences of this designation for the future of the neighbourhood and suggests that the direct intervention of the local government would appear to be contributing decisively to making Bilbao La Vieja an obvious candidate for gentrification.