Reutilization of Historical Buildings in the Inner City and Gentrification

On the Example of the Nakazaki Neighborhood in Osaka City

Abstract

The presentation explores why terrace houses are increasingly converted into shops in Osakas Nakazaki neighborhood. Therefore it draws on Sharon Zukins (1991) work, who argued that gentrifiers have a stronger right to historical buildings than normal people, because they claim them not only economically but also culturally. The presentation argues that this cultural claim is affirmed by the local community who supports the gentrifiers in order to raise their own profit.

Zukin, Sharon (1991) “Gentrification, Cuisine, and the Critical Infrastructure: Power and Centrality Down- town”, Landscapes of power: from Detroit to Disney World. University of California Press, pp. 179-215