What Bit of 'urban' Is Being Socially Controlled and Why?

Following the UK riots of 2011 there has been a sustained emphasis upon social control , especially in London. The capital city has rapidly gentrified and now social control is routinely used as a tool and as part of the ongoing process of remodelling the urban landscape. A cursory glance will show that police tactics such as 'stop and search' and 'offender profiling' represent an aspect of this process of gentrification. They represent an assault upon black, Islamic and working class citizens in an effort to move them on and out of the urban space they call home. This police attention these citizens receive is as much an assault upon a settled community as the ever-rising rents and child-care costs that make London life increasingly difficult. This paper will draw attention to theways in which the policing, rising rents, gentrification nexus makes urban life increasingly problematic for huge numbers of citizens. The paper will flag up data and recent policy developments to make its case. It will also look at recent scholarship concerning the ways in which black, Islamic and working class citizens are coming under attack simply because the homes they live in are now so valuable. It will argue that the policing, rising rents, gentrification nexus is a threat to many Londoners and how this 'London model' is being rolled out in cities around Europe.