FACULTY OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY | Dissertation defence
Dissertation defence – Kim Roelofs

This thesis studies resident experiences and practices in area-based development in the residential area Gårdsten, Gothenburg. Since 1997, the public housing company Gårdstensbostäder has had the responsibility to positively develop Gårdsten, which until then was considered run down and stigmatized. Gårdstensbostäder has received praise for their area-based work in Gårdsten, especially when the area received better ratings on the Police’s List of Vulnerable Areas. While several studies have focused on the resident experience of living in a stigmatized area, few studies have focused on resident experiences with area-based development. This thesis studies how resident experiences of and practices related to area-based development are shaped by territorial stigmatization. The study is based on semi-structured interviews and go-alongs with twenty-one Gårdsten residents. The study uses theories on territorial stigmatization (Wacquant, 2008; Garbin & Millington, 2012), stigmatization (Tyler, 2020) and space (Bourdieu, 1999; Massey, 2005). Despite informants being positive about Gårdstensbostäder’s work in the area, their experiences and practices continue to be shaped by territorial stigmatization. I identify three components to the territorial stigmatization that Gårdsten is currently subjected to: continuing stickiness; pragmatic resistance; and instances of blurring. These three components constitute a new form of territorial stigmatization in Gårdsten, which I call concealed stigmatization. Behind the positive representations that emphasize Gårdstensbostäder’s success, nuanced, multi-layered resident experiences of continued stigmatization are concealed. The thesis critically assesses the role of area-based initiatives and Swedish public housing, identifying limits to area-based approaches organized and coordinated by public housing companies.