The impact of place-based grassroots activism when challenging the real estate state: Strategies and successes of the False Creek South Neighbourhood Association

This project examines the place-based activism of residents of the False Creek South neighbourhood in Vancouver in their efforts to engage with the City of Vancouver about the planned redevelopment of their model community. Using the concepts of place identity, collective nostalgia, and place disruption, along with an analytical lens of place frames, I show through this case study how neighbourhoods and community organizations might, under the right conditions, leverage place identity, social capital, and alternative visions for the future to challenge the dominance of neo-liberal planning and the real estate state. My research also demonstrates how city governments and other levels of decision-makers can avoid vilifying local community groups protesting new development and create collaborative engagement relationships by reframing community reactions as place-protective actions.