Does Queerness Lubricate the Gentrification Crisis? Observing the Effects in Madrid’s Urban Space

This visual essay explores the ability of urban space to communicate
the effects of gentrification. The essay is based on field work by walking
in Madrid between 2017 and 2024, particularly in the neighbourhood of
Lavapiés, known for its large-scale gentrification and queer community.
For example, stickers, posters, murals, wall writings, signs of everyday life
and even rubbish can represent communication that provides a broader
understanding of how gentrification is experienced. The inhabitants of
Madrid have faced rising housing and service prices, and changes in the
social structure of neighbourhoods due to gentrification that have been
observable in the city for the last decade. Some studies have highlighted
that queers can be both casualties and accelerators of the gentrification
process when the business world attempts to commodify the value of
queerness. The author offers a critical perspective on the material and
symbolic changes caused by gentrification, along with reflections on how
queerness relates to the gentrification process.

Keywords: Airbnb, gentrification, Madrid, Lavapiés, photography,
queerness, Spain, touristification, urban space, walking