City children and genderfied neighbourhoods: the new generation as urban regeneration strategy

Former industrial cities in the West are employing gentrification as urban policy. In these policies, women and families play an important role as gentrification pioneers. Analysing the case of Rotterdam (the Netherlands), I propose the term genderfication to understand the gender dimensions of this process. Genderfication refers to the production of space for different gender relations. I analyse Rotterdam‟s urban planning program for the "Child Friendly City", in which current urban dwellings are replaced by new, larger and more expensive "family-friendly homes" as a strategy for urban re-generation. Urban re-generation supplements regeneration in the form of material and economic restructuring, and refers to the replacement of part of the current population by a new and better suited generation. The "Child Friendly City Program" is considered in tandem punitive "youth policies".