Older Adults, Place Belonging and Gentrification at a Regenerating Housing Estate in London

This paper examines place belonging and gentrification with reference to older social tenants living at a housing estate in London (England) which is undergoing a lengthy regeneration process. It is based on ethnographic research, involving participant observation and semi-structured interviews with older adults from multi-ethnic, working-class backgrounds. The estate regeneration process has, on the one hand, resulted in the rehousing of older tenants into new social housing properties. On the other hand, regeneration has also led to the building of large numbers of upmarket ‘luxury’ flats for sale which has brought about a radically changed neighbourhood demographic involving a much more affluent population, alongside visible social and economic signs of gentrification. While many of the older social tenants welcomed their new flats as being an improvement on their older, often poorly-maintained flats, they had considerable reservations regarding several aspects of the regeneration which affected their sense of place belonging. First, was the increased costs associated with their new flats. Second, was the loss of their previous relatively low-cost retail and leisure facilities, and their replacement with much more expensive retail and leisure services. Third, was how the elderly persons' social club lacked a dedicated space which made them feel excluded within the revamped area. Fourth, was a sense that ‘us and them’ class-based lines had been clearly drawn in which they were effectively second class citizens. Although the older people managed to maintain some of their long-term neighbourhood social connections, there was also a strong sense of non-belonging among many of them within the new regenerated, increasingly gentrifying neighbourhood.