Between political protest and tourism gentrification

Abstract

The Schanzenviertel is one of Hamburg’s most touristified quarters where tourism-induced socio-spatial transformation is to be observed best. The former mixed industrial and residential area has developed into the centre of the alternative scene in Hamburg since the 1980s. At the heart of the Schanzenviertel is the so-called Rote Flora, a left-wing cultural centre that has been squatted since 1989. It evolved into a symbol of far-left opposition. But at the same time, it is a tourist sight, which is advertised as the cultural centre of Hamburg’s hippest neighbourhood and a favoured destination for New Urban Tourists. It is hypothesised that the Rote Flora as an original protest against the neoliberal logic of exploitation is a substantial driver of tourism gentrification due to the emergence of New Urban Tourism. The transformation of the Schanzenviertel into a gentryscape and tourismscape serves as an example of how the concurrence of different stakeholders, practices and processes results in touristification and how the stakeholders deal with potential frictions and conflicts. We analyse discourses of gentrification and touristification to illustrate the unwanted interaction of protest against urban upgrading with tourism and leisure activities, and to provide insights into the challenges of future urban tourism development.