Author(s)

RAFAELA SIMONATO CITRON

Abstract

This work is part of PhD research that addresses two recurrent problems in large Brazilian cities: the risk of demolition of important industrial buildings – due to several factors, such as the advanced state of degradation given the lack of use, the lack of recognition of this heritage in the country and the pressure of the real estate market, increasingly interested in the land these sites occupy – and the great demand for housing in central areas. The two themes – the preservation of industrial heritage and social housing in central areas – are rarely addressed together. Internationally, especially in the UK, the reuse of industrial heritage for residential use is quite common and has been going on since the first factories were closed with deindustrialisation and consequent industrial deconcentration, leading to the abandonment of several industrial sites in areas with complete urban infrastructure. Although successful in terms of preserving industrial heritage, since they enabled this heritage to be kept in the urban landscape, the adaptive reuse projects and the site’s urban regeneration usually result in the gentrification of the regenerated area through projects carried out via a partnership between the public and the private sector that, even by offering a portion of onsite affordable housing, fail to serve the local community, let alone solve the country’s housing problem. This article will show as a case study the Royal Arsenal district, in the south-east of the docks in London, with the aim of demonstrating how the urban regeneration, while preserving industrial heritage, divided the neighbourhood and contributes to its gentrification.

Keywords

urban regeneration, industrial heritage, gentrification, conservation, heritage