Neighborhood Resistance to Gentrification: The Case of Lavapiés in Madrid
Resistencias vecinales frente a la gentrificación: el caso de Lavapiés en Madrid
Keywords:
Gentrification, Urban resistance, Street art, Public space, Right to the cityAbstract
This study explores the dynamics of neighborhood resistance to gentrification in the historically diverse and working-class district of Lavapiés, Madrid. Unlike previous studies that focus predominantly on socio-economic displacement, this research examines how local communities actively contest urban transformation through street art and the occupation of public spaces. Using a qualitative methodology that combines ethnographic fieldwork, visual analysis, and semi-structured interviews, the study uncovers how artistic expressions and grassroots interventions reclaim urban agency and visibility. The research highlights the role of cultural resistance as a spatial and political strategy to resist neoliberal urban policies. The novelty of this study lies in its focus on creative resistance as a form of urban activism, providing a nuanced understanding of how marginalized communities assert their right to the city. The findings contribute to broader urban studies discourse by integrating cultural practices into the analysis of anti-gentrification movements.
Este estudio examina las dinámicas de resistencia vecinal ante la gentrificación en el barrio histórico y multicultural de Lavapiés, en Madrid. A diferencia de investigaciones previas centradas principalmente en el desplazamiento socioeconómico, esta investigación analiza cómo las comunidades locales enfrentan activamente la transformación urbana mediante el arte callejero y la ocupación del espacio público. A través de una metodología cualitativa que combina trabajo de campo etnográfico, análisis visual y entrevistas semiestructuradas, se revela cómo las expresiones artísticas y las intervenciones comunitarias reclaman agencia urbana y visibilidad. La investigación subraya el papel de la resistencia cultural como estrategia espacial y política frente a las políticas urbanas neoliberales. La originalidad del estudio radica en su enfoque en la resistencia creativa como forma de activismo urbano, aportando una comprensión más matizada sobre cómo las comunidades marginadas ejercen su derecho a la ciudad. Los hallazgos enriquecen el debate en estudios urbanos al integrar prácticas culturales en el análisis de los movimientos contra la gentrificación.
References
Arbaci, S. (2008). (Re)viewing ethnic residential segregation in Southern European cities: Housing and urban regimes as mechanisms of marginalisation. Housing Studies, 23(4), 589–613.
Bayat, A. (2010). Life as politics. Stanford University Press.
Brenner, N., & Theodore, N. (2002). Cities and the geographies of “actually existing neoliberalism.” Antipode, 34(3), 349–379.
Colomb, C., & Novy, J. (2017). Protest and resistance in the tourist city. Routledge.
Davidson, M. (2009). Displacement, space and dwelling. Housing Studies, 24(2), 219–236.
de Certeau, M. (1984). The practice of everyday life. University of California Press.
Gil, J., & Sequera, J. (2020). Expanding the tourist city: The role of Airbnb in Madrid. Urban Studies, 57(15), 3041–3059. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098019832311
Glass, R. (1964). London: Aspects of change. MacGibbon & Kee.
Harvey, D. (2005). A brief history of neoliberalism. Oxford University Press.
Harvey, D. (2005). A brief history of neoliberalism. Oxford University Press.
Harvey, D. (2008). The right to the city. New Left Review, 53, 23–40.
Iveson, K. (2010). The wars on graffiti and the new military urbanism. City, 14(1–2), 115–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/13604810903529181
Janoschka, M., Sequera, J., & Salinas, L. (2014). Gentrification in Spain and Latin America. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 38(4), 1234–1265.
Lees, L. (2000). A reappraisal of gentrification. Progress in Human Geography, 24(3), 389–408.
Lees, L., Slater, T., & Wyly, E. (2008). Gentrification. Routledge.
Lefebvre, H. (1996). Writings on cities. Blackwell.
López-Morales, E., Shin, H. B., & Lees, L. (2016). Latin American gentrifications. Urban Studies, 53(6), 1093–1109.
Maloutas, T. (2012). Contextual diversity in gentrification research. Critical Sociology, 38(1), 33–48.
Marcuse, P. (1985). Gentrification, abandonment, and displacement. Journal of Urban and Contemporary Law, 28, 195–240.
Martínez López, M. A. (2018). The urban politics of squatters’ movements in Madrid. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 42(2), 252–268.
Mayer, M. (2012). The “right to the city” in urban social movements. Cities, 29(S2), S63–S69.
Mitchell, D. (2003). The right to the city. Guilford Press.
Mitchell, D. (2003). The right to the city: Social justice and the fight for public space. Guilford Press.
Pinkster, F., & Boterman, W. (2017). When the spell is broken. Urban Studies, 54(2), 451–467.
Ringrose, D. R. (1983). Madrid and the Spanish economy, 1560–1850. University of California Press.
Rodríguez, A., & López, E. (2011). The crisis of neoliberal urbanism in Spain. Antipode, 43(5), 1601–1621.
Scott, J. C. (1985). Weapons of the weak. Yale University Press.
Shaw, K. (2015). Gentrification. Geography Compass, 9(9), 497–510.
Sequera, J. (2020). Gentrification, displacement, and resistance in Southern European cities. Urban Geography, 41(3), 386–404. https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2019.1607241
Sequera, J., & Nofre, J. (2018). Shaken, not stirred: New debates on touristification and the limits of gentrification. Urban Studies, 55(14), 3194–3211. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098018774575
Shaw, K. (2015). Gentrification: What it is, why it is, and what can be done about it. Geography Compass, 9(9), 497–510. https://doi.org/10.1111/gec3.12231
Smith, N. (1979). Toward a theory of gentrification. Journal of the American Planning Association, 45(4), 538–548.
Smith, N. (1996). The new urban frontier. Routledge.
Zukin, S. (2010). Naked city. Oxford University Press.
Smith, N. (1996). The new urban frontier: Gentrification and the revanchist city. Routledge.
Stevenson, D. (2003). Cities and urban cultures. Open University Press.
Vicente, J. (2011). Urban regeneration and social change in Lavapiés, Madrid. Cities, 28(2), 147–155.
Zukin, S. (2010). Naked city: The death and life of authentic urban places. Oxford University Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Paula Torres Dominguez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All writings published in this journal are the personal views of the authors and do not represent the views of this journal or the authors’ affiliated institutions. Authors retain copyrights without any restriction under the license of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
[ESP] Todos los escritos publicados en esta revista representan las opiniones personales de los autores y no reflejan las opiniones de esta revista ni de las instituciones a las que los autores están afiliados. Los autores conservan los derechos de autor sin ninguna restricción bajo la licencia Creative Commons Atribución 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0).
[CAT] Tots els escrits publicats en aquesta revista representen les opinions personals dels autors i no reflecteixen les opinions d’aquesta revista ni de les institucions amb les quals els autors estan afiliats. Els autors conserven els drets d’autor sense cap restricció sota la llicència Creative Commons Atribució 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0).
