Lift the class – not the place! On class and urban policies in Oslo.

Urban studies are still troubled by Friedrich Engels' argument from 1872: that the bourgeoisie's only method to solving housing problems is to shift them elsewhere. Through analysing urban policies in Oslo, Norway, this paper demonstrates that the almost 150-year-old argument is still relevant. This cannot be confronted without a better understanding of class as a complex and constituting process in relation to urban policy. In this paper class will be analyzed through three clusters of causal relations: (i) a stratification approach, (ii) an opportunity hoarding approach (related to Weber), and (iii) domination and exploitation (a Marxian approach). Urban polices in Oslo is to a large extent consistent with a stratification approach – i.e. both individuals and places can become 'richer' and 'improve' without other individuals or places losing anything – and to some degree with a Weberian approach – the municipality wants to include local residents in education and labour markets. In order to confront the 'bourgeoisie method', we need to open the door to the third approach and discuss class in relation to the broader political economy. Rather than an area-programme with the aim of 'lifting the place', what is needed is class-programmes that aim at 'lifting the class'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]