In Germany the phenomena of segregation and gentrification have previously mostly been examined in prosperous urban regions in West Germany in the 1980s. This project expands research to include the sociospatial differentiation in older, inner city areas in East Germany. 
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Results:
The empirical part of the project concentrates on three central, late 19th century residential districts in Leipzig. A comparison of data from the mid-1990s and 2002 makes possible the identification of important phases in the development of the areas. In spite of problems of shrinking in the city as a whole, well-developed, small-scale forms of improvement to the built fabric, and functional and social upgrading can be observed. Thus the concepts of shrinking and gentrification, which initially seem to be contradictory, are not actually mutually exclusive, but complement each other at different scales. Gentrification in the Leipzig districts is expressed in consderable levels of in-migration of young, highly qualified residents. Neither a notable shift from rental to owner occupiers nor displacement took place. At the same time, polarizing tendencies in shifting social structures emerged between urban districts.
Publications:
Hill, André / Wiest, Karin (2004): Gentrification in ostdeutschen Cityrandgebieten? Theoretische Überlegungen zum empirischen Forschungsstand. In: Berichte zur deutschen Landeskunde (1), pp. 25-39.
Wiest, Karin (2004): Inseln des Aufstiegs in schrumpfenden ostdeutschen Stadtlandschaften. In: Forum Wohneigentum 5, pp. 262-265.
Wiest, Karin (2005): Reurbanisierung als Mainstream der ostdeutschen Stadtentwicklung? Wohnungsmarkt und Planungspolitik in sächsischen Großstädten. In: RaumPlanung 123, pp. 237-242.
Wiest, Karin / Zischner, Romy (2006): Aufwertung innerstädtischer Altbaugebiete in den neuen Bundesländern – Prozesse und Entwicklungspfade. In: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Kommunalwissenschaften (1), pp. 99-121.
Project team:
Karin Wiest, André Hill
Co-operation:
City of Leipzig, Geography Department at the University of Leipzig, Geography Department at the Technical University of Dresden
Duration of project:
December 2001 to November 2003
Project sponsorship:
German Science Foundation (DFG)
Further information:
 Karin Wiest
Tel.: +49 (0)89 77 52 05
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