Contentious memories: History and urban redevelopment in Bogotá, Colombia

Abstract

In 2004, the city of Bogotá designated the historic working-class neighborhood of Las Aguas an “Urban Renovation Zone.” Subsequently, in 2012 the Universidad de los Andes proposed a massive redevelopment plan called Progresa Fenicia, with city approval. Redevelopment is imminent and residents’ responses have been diverse. In an effort to contribute to the literature that seeks to enrich and nuance our understanding of urban renewal processes and gentrification, this article explores the subjective experiences of long-term residents and the role of history and memory in such processes. Our analysis is based on participant observation and 31 oral histories from long-term residents of the small urban area designated for intervention. Through them, we seek to illuminate how residents understand their personal experience of the transformation of the neighborhood, and their part in urban renewal processes that extend into the past but also the future. We emphasize the agency of long-term residents, arguing that the past and memory play a significant role in how people define place, position themselves vis-à-vis urban interventions, and shape their experiences of urban redevelopment beyond monetary issues, class displacement, physical landscape, and housing policy.