Regeneration or gentrification? : the case of Cottonera

Abstract

The Cottonera region has had a long history of population decline along with deterioration of various areas, including buildings and open spaces. As a result of the bombing of the 2nd World War, along with the increase of the tertiary economic sector, and as a consequence the closure of the dockyard, the Cottonera region has suffered from stigma, neglect and an increase in people with social problems. Along the years, attempts at regeneration projects commenced to revive the area. This dissertation aims to look deeper into the aspects of the regeneration projects; mainly focusing on whether these have been really regeneration projects or whether these have turned in to a gentrification process. In the literature review, the author focuses on the changing definition of gentrification and regeneration whilst giving case studies that could be possible to compare and contrast with the Maltese context, especially the Cottonera region context. Furthermore, the author analyses gathered data to see the extent to which these regeneration projects have affected locals and local businesses. Structured interviews with residents as well as business owners were conducted whereas semistructured interviews were held with representatives from the local councils of Birgu and Kalkara. Results show that elements of both regeneration and gentrification, mostly tourism gentrification are present. The study reveals that politics and mostly tourism have played an important role along the regeneration projects and a new form of tourism is being developed. Furthermore, results show that residents and business owners have been affected in both positive and negative ways. These will be discussed further along the dissertation. The author draws conclusions and recommends suggestions for further studies to address limitations that occurred within the design of study as well as providing recommendations to address issues that arose along the Cottonera regeneration projects.