Can urban renewal be fair?

In this episode of Energ’Ethic, host Marine Cornelis meets Mirte Jepma, a PhD researcher, feminist activist, and documentary maker whose work explores how cities can be made more liveable—without pushing out the people who already live there.

Mirte shares the story behind her film The Sinking Fringe, which follows the residents of a social housing neighbourhood in Amsterdam resisting displacement under the guise of urban “improvement.”

With a background in politics, philosophy, and urban studies, she brings a sharp, grounded lens to the very human cost of gentrification and top-down planning.

Together, we reflect on:

Why housing is never just about housing

What it means to co-create research and tell stories ethically

The risk of renovictions in the name of climate-friendly cities Lessons from Amsterdam, Milan, and Barcelona on collective housing and energy transitions, based on her research for the PREFIGURE project https://prefigure.eu

How care-based, feminist urbanism can shift how we plan our cities

🎬 We also go behind the scenes of documentary-making in an activist context—and what it means to hold the mic with, not for, a community.

For those working on climate, housing, or citizen participation, this episode is a must-listen reminder: resistance often begins at home.

Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.

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Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/marinenextenerg.bsky.social or LinkedIn
Music: I Need You Here - Kamarius
Edition: Podcast Media Factory 

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