The role of schools in the de- and revalorization of stigmatized neighborhoods: The case of Berlin-Neukölln

This paper asks what role schools play in the gentrification process, a topic that remains understudied outside the Anglo-American context. I analyze how the discourse about schools has shaped the gentrification process in Berlin’s working-class and immigrant-dense Neukölln district. By considering the different perspectives and narratives of parents, the local government, property owners, and investors, I show that, even in a context in which education remains mainly public, schools play a crucial role in determining the housing and educational strategies of different stakeholders in the area. I argue for a more thorough engagement of European urban studies with the histories of racism and migration, in specific with the question of school segregation and territorially based ethno-racial stigma, to fully grasp the current gentrification of previously neglected neighborhoods across western European cities.