Commodification Gap

Matthias Bernt is a sociologist and political scientist who works as a Senior Researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space in Erkner, Germany. He is also Adjunct Professor at Humboldt University in Berlin. His research focuses on the interrelations between urban development and urban governance.

• List of Figure ixList of Tables xSeries Editors’ Preface xiPreface xii1 Introduction 1Gentrification Between Universality and Particularity 1How to Compare? Why Compare? 8Concepts and Causation 11Design of this Study 15Notes 222 Why the Rent Gap isn’t Enough 25Where the Rent Gap Works Well 25Where the Rent Gap Falls Short 30When and Why does Capital Flow? 32At Which Scale is the Rent Gap Positioned? 34Which Rent? 37Property as Control? 40How is the Rent Gap Realised? 43Embedding Gentrification 48Economy, Society and States 48The Commodification Gap 51Notes 543 Three Countries, Three Housing Systems 57The British Experience 57From Private Landlordism to a Dual Market 58The Thatcherite Revolution 60New Labour: More of the Same? 65Austerity and New ‘Class War Conservatism’ Under the Coalition Government 70Conclusion: Neoliberalism, Tenurial Transformation and Gentrification 73The German Experience 77From the Controlled Housing Economy to the Lücke Plan 77The Design of Tenant Protections 84The Conservative Wende 86Reunification and Neoliberal Consensus 89Conclusion: Gentrification Between Regulation and Deregulation 91The Russian Experience 98Housing in the Soviet Union 99From Shock Therapy to Failing Markets 102Restricted State Capacities and Opportunity Planning 110Conclusion: Gentrification in a Dysfunctional Market 112State Intervention in Housing: Setting the Parameters for Gentrification 118Notes 1244 Barnsbury: Gentrification and the Policies of Tenure 129The Making of Early Gentrification 129The Right to Buy: Pouring Fuel on the Fire 137The New Economy of Gentrification 141Capital Gains Instead of Owner- Occupation 142Penalty Renting 145From Value Gap to Super- gentrification 150Notes 1545 Prenzlauer Berg: Gentrification Between Regulation and Deregulation 157From Plan to Market 158Rolling out the Market, Weakening Public Control 162Since 2000: Privately Financed Refurbishments, Condominium Boom and No Regulation 164New Build Gentrification and Energy Efficient Displacement 167Between Deregulation and Re- regulation 171Gentrification with Brakes? 174Notes 1796 Splintered Gentrification: St Petersburg, Russia 181Unpredictable Regeneration Schemes 183World Heritage vs. Gentrification 186The Dissolution of Kommunalki Flats 192State- run Repair and Renewal 198Pro and Contra Gentrification 202Notes 2067 The Commodification Gap 207Universality vs. Particularity Revisited 207Gentrification and Decommodification 216Meeting the Challenge: New Directions for Research and Politics 217Notes 221Appendix A Compulsory Purchase in Barnsbury 223Appendix B Residents in NS- SeC Classes 1 and 2 229References 235Index 257

‘In an elegant and careful theoretical analysis, this book demonstrates how gentrification is always entwined with institutions and distinctive contextual processes. Matthias Bernt develops a new concept, the “commodification gap”, which is tested in three richly researched cases. With this, the concept of gentrification becomes a multiplicity and the possibility of conversations across different urban contexts is expanded. A richly rewarding read!’Jennifer Robinson, Professor of Human Geography, University College London, UK‘Urban studies has reached a stalemate of universalism versus particularism. Matthias Bernt is breaking out of this deadlock by being very precise about what exactly is universal and what is not – and how one can conceptualize both. The Commodity Gap is a key contribution to not only gentrification studies, but also to comparative urbanism and urban studies at large.’Manuel B. Aalbers, Division of Geography & Tourism, KU Leuven, Belgium