Gentrification and the 'Creative City':
The Use of Public Art

Over the years, the economy has changed from industrial to a new, knowledge and service-based economy (Florida, 2003), and the concept of creativity has become an important part of our society. The need for creative thinking, innovation and human capital has increased immensely. This would assist in the growth and wealth of a city. Cities and companies strive to attract this “creative class”, to generate economic growth (Florida, 2003, P.8). Creativity is often linked to femininity. As this gender stereotypically focusses more on the aesthetics. Therefore, changing the “gender” of a city can help make it more creative and attract a higher class of residents (Van Den Berg, 2011). Especially when shifting from an industrial economy to a service one. This can also be seen as a shift from production to consumption and can therefore be linked to economic growth.

Altering the city to become more creative and feminine often causes gentrification. As the working class are pushed out of the city by the privatisation of housing and the feeling of exclusion in these “hip” neighbourhoods (Van Den Berg, 2011). Economic growth lies in the best interest of the government. Therefore, the government has started to become more involved in the gentrification of certain neighbourhoods and cities. In the fifth, and latest wave, of genitrication, the state worls closely together with private orgizations to gentrify specific neighbourhoods (Hackworth & Smith, 2001).

In the fifth wave of gentrification, the advertisement of cities as creative hubs can be assisted by the placing of public art. These art works are used to send a message of creativity, appealing to pink collar workers, that is, attracting high-skilled labour to these urban centers. Therefore, it is crucial to analyse who is the target audience of such artworks, often commissioned through public funds. The aim is to acquire more wealthy residents, which would lead to a better local economy. Therefore, we have gone into this gentrified neighbourhoods in different cities and focussed on the artworks. We hope to shed some light on the physical aspects of government led gentrification. To be seen are artworks that have been placed within the last 10 years by the local municipality.

Florida, R. (2003). Cities and the creative class. City & Community, 2(1), 3-19.


Hackworth, J. and Smith, N. (2001). The changing state of gentrification. Tijdschrift
voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 92(4), 464-470.



Van den Berg, M. (2012). Femininity as a city marketing strategy: Gender bending Rotterdam. Urban Studies, 49(1), 153-168.

University of Amsterdam

Urban Places and Social Problems

October 9, 2020


Dymphy Curbishley (12907294)

Elia Calderazzi (12862932)

Mariana Gusso Nickel (13507427)

Joshua Doehring (12034088)

Bibliography: