Reading Socio-Spatial Interplay - Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i ...

R E A D I N G S O C I O - S P A T I A L I N T E R P L A Y - I N T R O D U C T I O Nof effects the physical fabric could be said to have on the processes ofimmigration and gentrification. Another central issue was to see theseprocesses together: To develop a theoretical approach for understanding theinteraction and interrelation of gentrification and immigration and their effecton the physical fabric of the postmodern city.The project was summarized in a final research report to NFR in December2005. Central findings and issues were also discussed in articles by thedifferent project group-members, in Jonny Aspen (ed.) 2005: By og byliv iendring. Studier av byrom og handlingsrom i Oslo, Oslo, ScandinavianAcademic Press.Both during the project period and thereafter I was given more or less fullliberty to define and design my own PhD-project in relation to theImmigentri-project. The leader of the research project, professor Ed Robbins,who also was my main adviser during the project period, encouraged me tofollow my own curiosities rather than worrying about how my thesis-project,as it developed, would provide outputs that matched the Immigentri-project’sinitial description. As a member of the project group I was also able toinfluence the profile of the data that were to be collected. Thus I’ve had greatbenefits from having access to a wide range of collected data.The data material feeding the empirical analysesThe data material that is to be used in the empirical analyses (chapter 4-6)consists of historical data and a number of new registrations in addition tosecondary sources that will be referenced. As mentioned above, beingassociated with the larger research project – representing resources to hirestudent research assistants to carry out a number of quite time-consumingregistrations – I’ve had the privilege to be able to be quite extravagant in myuses of data material. The most important historical data that will be used inthe empirical analysis are historical city maps (listed at end of thebibliography), architectural drawings of different types of buildings in thestudy areas, 10 historical photos (from Oslo City Archives) and historicalregisters of businesses and enterprises. Of the material that was gathered inthe Immigentri-project, I will first of all make use of the following:Regular surveys in all three study areas: 11 Systematic and yearly photographic registrations of façades, signsand shop-windows in five key streets,10 Gathered from the archives of Oslo municipality, Plan- og bygningsetaten.11 Carried out by architect-student research assistants in the summer of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.14