Home dispossession and touristification in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands-Spain): tenant evictions in the neighborhood of El Toscal

This paper examines tenant evictions as a main expression of accumulation by dispossession in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. We analyze the spatial distribution of forced tenant evictions and its outcomes in the historical neighborhood of El Toscal. Our study focus on the interplay between tenant evictions, new waves of gentrification and class struggles in the city center. By drawing on official statistics of the General Council of the Judiciary and on interviews, we explore the interlinked nature of evictions, the expansion of short-term rentals for touristic scopes, and the displacement of popular classes in El Toscal. We found that dispossession via touristification in the neighborhood occurs but it is neither perceived as a factor displacing residents, nor protest or resistance by neighbors. Nevertheless, our findings show that a new wave of gentrification in the central areas of El Toscal, where disinvestment and vacant dwellings concentrate, will take place in the coming years.