Banishment through Branding: From Montréal’s Red Light District to Quartier des Spectacles
This paper analyzes how the City of Montréal employed tools of urban planning—including a district plan, street redesign, rezoning, selective public consultation, expropriation, policing and surveillance—to spatially banish sex work from its historic district, using the red light symbol as a brandin...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/9/420 |
| _version_ | 1797482354706481152 |
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| author | Rhianne Fiolka Zack Marshall Anna Kramer |
| author_facet | Rhianne Fiolka Zack Marshall Anna Kramer |
| author_sort | Rhianne Fiolka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper analyzes how the City of Montréal employed tools of urban planning—including a district plan, street redesign, rezoning, selective public consultation, expropriation, policing and surveillance—to spatially banish sex work from its historic district, using the red light symbol as a branding strategy. This coincided with a change in federal law (Bill C-36) and a policy shift to reposition sex workers as passive victims of sex trafficking. Using a case study design, this work explores the state’s refusal to recognize the agency of those engaged in embodied socio-economic exchanges and the safety and solidarity possible in public space. In interviews, sex workers described strategies of collective organizing, resistance and protest to hold the city accountable during this process of displacement. We consider how urban planning might support sex work, sex workers and economic autonomy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:31:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a066105e04424dda93ee561ee1815e49 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:31:06Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-a066105e04424dda93ee561ee1815e492023-11-23T18:56:27ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602022-09-0111942010.3390/socsci11090420Banishment through Branding: From Montréal’s Red Light District to Quartier des SpectaclesRhianne Fiolka0Zack Marshall1Anna Kramer2School of Urban Planning, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C2, CanadaSchool of Social Work, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B9, CanadaSchool of Urban Planning, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C2, CanadaThis paper analyzes how the City of Montréal employed tools of urban planning—including a district plan, street redesign, rezoning, selective public consultation, expropriation, policing and surveillance—to spatially banish sex work from its historic district, using the red light symbol as a branding strategy. This coincided with a change in federal law (Bill C-36) and a policy shift to reposition sex workers as passive victims of sex trafficking. Using a case study design, this work explores the state’s refusal to recognize the agency of those engaged in embodied socio-economic exchanges and the safety and solidarity possible in public space. In interviews, sex workers described strategies of collective organizing, resistance and protest to hold the city accountable during this process of displacement. We consider how urban planning might support sex work, sex workers and economic autonomy.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/9/420sex workurban planningpolicygentrificationcriminalizationsocial history |
| spellingShingle | Rhianne Fiolka Zack Marshall Anna Kramer Banishment through Branding: From Montréal’s Red Light District to Quartier des Spectacles Social Sciences sex work urban planning policy gentrification criminalization social history |
| title | Banishment through Branding: From Montréal’s Red Light District to Quartier des Spectacles |
| title_full | Banishment through Branding: From Montréal’s Red Light District to Quartier des Spectacles |
| title_fullStr | Banishment through Branding: From Montréal’s Red Light District to Quartier des Spectacles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Banishment through Branding: From Montréal’s Red Light District to Quartier des Spectacles |
| title_short | Banishment through Branding: From Montréal’s Red Light District to Quartier des Spectacles |
| title_sort | banishment through branding from montreal s red light district to quartier des spectacles |
| topic | sex work urban planning policy gentrification criminalization social history |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/9/420 |
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