Covet thy neighbour’s life: education policy, gentrification and the reconfiguration of urban space Dr Kalervo N. Gulson Department of Educational Studies University of British Columbia, Canada

Overview connections between neoliberal education and urban policy relationships between examples of educational policies in the UK and Canada, and different forms of gentrification Marketisation of the city – Neoliberalism – middle class remaking – space and place

Neoliberalism and policy Education policy – school choice – individual educational achievement as primary driver for social mobility Urban policy – free-market in the built environment – management of difference Spatial concentration of problematised social groups as a staple of policy thinking

Gentrification ‘the transformation of a working-class or vacant area into middle-class residential and/ or commercial use’ (Lees, Slater & Wyly, 2008) The practices of elite and ‘pioneer’ gentrifiers The policy realm of gentrification Advocates of gentrification – posit a new-formed diversity driven by middle class in-migration whereby new residents foster ‘community’ and offer a hand-up for the ‘socially excluded’

“Gentrification can ameliorate the social isolation of the poor. New more affluent residents will rub shoulders with poorer existing residents on the streets, in shops, and within local institutions, such as public schools. Such newcomers may exhibit possibilities of social mobility and a determination to secure adequate public services that provide existing residents with…role models.” - Byrne (2003)

Gentrification and education ‘New-build’ gentrification, educational achievement and aspirations ‘Social’ gentrifiers, school choice and the displacement of neighbourhood schools

Coveting thy neighbour’s life The middle class city Neoliberalism and the entrepreneurial self Space, place and the policy encouragement to covet