Ethnology seminar: Kim Roelofs : Stigmatization and Participation: Researching Area-Based Development from a Resident Perspective

Kim Roelofs is a PhD-student at the Department of Urban Studies at Malmö University and a former MACA-student. For her dissertation work, Kim studies how residents in the stigmatized area Gårdsten (Gothenburg) experience changes in their neighbourhood. For 25 years, the public housing company Gårdstensbostäder has owned most of the housing stock in Gårdsten and has focused on developing the area through renovation and social activities. Central to Gårdstensbostäder’s approach is to involve their tenants in the development processes. Kim studies what it means to develop a stigmatized area through resident participation.