Post-Soviet urban renewal and its discontents : gentrification by demolition in Baku

Gentrification is being increasingly discussed as a driver of urban
change globally, including in the former Soviet Union. However, the
translation of the gentrification phenomenon into post-Soviet cities
like Baku remains poorly understood. This article explores how
a particular form of state-led “gentrification by demolition” is
unfolding in Baku. We assert the ongoing relevance of using the
framework of gentrification to analyze the processes. We go on to
use the case of the recently demolished Sovetsky district to carefully
expand the geography of the gentrification discourse. We argue
that Baku’s own “landscape of gentrification” is shaped by a number
of preconditions. It bears the marks of the legacy of post-socialist cities. However, it more resembles muscular state-led “gentrification by demolition” that is characteristic of Chinese cities. It also
echoes Soviet city-building legacies in its use of spectacle and
“grand gesture” to legitimize and buy support for gentrification
policies.