En plats för alla? Om kulturinstitutioners roll i stadsutvecklingsprocesser i Kortedala och Gamlestaden, med biblioteken i centrum

Abstract

This study explores gentrification as a concept from an intersectional and cultural perspective. Cultural institutions are at the center of this study. Kortedala library and Världslitteraturhuset (The world literature house) are two places located in the city of Gothenburg in Sweden, which are the cases for this essay. Gamlestaden is an area located in Eastern Gothenburg that has been going through changes during the past years. By using quantitative methods such as interviews we illustrate how people - young people in particular- from Kortedala feel about the changes in the district and their neighbourhood. This study concludes that gentrification has a cultural dimension which is often neglected in earlier studies. The lack of cultural institutions could in the long run contribute to segregation in the respective areas. Kortedala is an example of an area that is lacking cultural places for youth and is now facing the risk of losing the library, as a cultural space.