Paper short abstract:

The Baka neighbourhood in Jerusalem is a former Palestinian neighbourhood which became Jewish. The Palestinian homes were the "engine" of gentrification processes, which the conservationist discourse turned into super-gentrification. But whose heritage is being conserved and for what purpose?

Paper long abstract:

The Baka neighbourhood in Jerusalem was built by wealthy Palestinians in late nineteenth century, conquered during the 1948 war and soon densely re-populated by low class Jewish immigrants. After the 1967 war and the geopolitical changes in the city's borders, Baka became an inner-city neighbourhood. Additionally, an emerging architectural trend cherished the aesthetics of the Palestinian architecture and regarded it as "authentic". This triggered a long-going process of gentrification in Baka which later turned into super-gentrification. These processes were also combined with high-status immigration of Jews from Western countries. Baka's unique architecture (which includes various architectural styles) had been the "engine" of the neighbourhood's gentrification, which later shifted from the Palestinian homes to newly built housing units and additions on Palestinian homes, and finally even to the poorly built housing developments of the 1960s, and it is now a trendy prestigious neighbourhood. The main questions this paper addresses deal with heritage: whose heritage is being conserved, by whom, for whom and for what purpose? In the context of the ongoing national conflict, the past Palestinian presence in West Jerusalem is something that the State has made large efforts of forgetting. Yet, as these homes hold valuable profits which the municipality can gain from too, the efforts of ideological conservationists are suddenly heard. Eager developers who understand the value of "authenticity" quickly jump on this wagon. My argument is that while conservation has certainly become a buzzword in Jerusalem, it doesn't include any recognition of the Palestinian past or their rights.