Notions of time in a neighborhood destined for state-led regeneration

Abstract

ABSTRACT The paper deals with temporal aspects of state-led regeneration processes, focusing on a pre-gentrification era in a neighborhood’s lifecycle when various repercussions could follow. Relying on ethnographic research in neighborhood C (“Gimel”) in Beersheba, Israel, the paper joins theorizing efforts from southeastern “ordinary” cities, particularly highlighting the significant role of the state in putatively neoliberal processes. The paper argues that unknown temporal spatialization – the timing, length, and location of development – produce different perceptions of time with regard to urban transformation. Different actors develop a temporal perspective based on their subjective memory, imaginaries, and positioning. The paper offers three timescapes in a place constructed to be on the verge of change: (1) the “above” perspective of planners and municipal actors, patiently envisioning change based on external imaginaries; (2) the “intermediate” perspective of realtors and developers, seeing redevelopment as a nascent on-going process; and (3) the “below” perspectives of residents, either focusing on the decades-long decay or seeing their residency as a transient solution, with present-time longing for rapid change or fear of displacement.