Plot B/C, 2ème étage
bd Copernic - Cité Descartes
77447 Champs-sur-Marne
Bio
Protests against the urban regeneration project in Saint Petersburg, edited by Elsa Vivant and Martine Drozdz.
The urban regeneration programme for the Khrushchevki – the large housing estates built in the 1950s and 1960s – was launched in 2008 in Saint Petersburg. Apart from its unusually long duration and the failure to meet its initial objectives, this programme has been marked by numerous protests from residents of the affected neighbourhoods. Against the backdrop of the Russian state’s authoritarian transition, how were these protests made possible? What was their political significance and what were their potential social impacts? Using a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative (semi-structured interviews, observation), quantitative (mapping, statistics) and digital (network analysis) methods, this thesis aims to provide an analysis of opposition to urban regeneration, protests that unfold within the undemocratic context of post-Soviet Russia. The aim here is to continue the scientific exploration of social movements defending built heritage, using a little-known example that can usefully contribute to a better understanding of (1) contemporary urban developments in Saint Petersburg and (2) urban political mobilisations in an authoritarian context.