Defining and Measuring Displacement: Is Relocation from Restructured Neighbourhoods Always Unwelcome and Disruptive?

Abstract

Current regeneration policy has been described as 'state-led gentrification', with comparisons made with the 'social disruption' caused by slum clearance of the 1950s and 1960s. This article takes issue with this approach in relation to the study of the restructuring of social housing areas. The terms 'forced relocation' and 'displacement' are often too crude to describe what actually happens within processes of restructuring and the effects upon residents. Displacement in particular has important dimensions other than the physical one of moving. Evidence from a recent study of people who have moved out of restructured areas shows that although there is some evidence of physical displacement, there is little evidence of social or psychosocial displacement after relocation. Prior attitudes to moving and aspects of the process of relocation-the degree of choice and distance involved-are important moderators of the outcomes. Issues of time and context are insufficiently taken into consideration in studies and accounts of restructuring, relocation and displacement.

The effects of an urban renewal project on health and health inequalities: a quasi-experimental study in Barcelona

“…One of the limitations for studies evaluating urban renewal is the issue of population displacement 40. This is often difficult to control for especially if the study cohort differs in each time period.…”

Health Effects of Neighborhood Demolition and Housing Improvement: A Prospective Controlled Study of 2 Natural Experiments in Urban Renewal

“…It is also a physical phenomenon that increases the proportion of derelict properties and turns neighborhoods into worksites and buildings into rubble. 39,40 Furthermore, large-scale clearances can take years to complete, while residents waiting to be relocated are exposed to steadily worsening neighborhood environments. 41 If deteriorating residential environments are harmful to health, then residents who remain in neighborhoods undergoing demolition risk being harmed.…”

Involuntary Resettlement: From a Landslide-Affected Slum to a New Neighbourhood. Case Study of Mina Resettlement Project, Ahvaz, Iran

“…They found out that these projects of state did not lead to higher quality of life of the relocated community even after incurring socio-economic costs [20]. But in some cases, resettlement can provide better residential outcomes to resettled dwellers by providing decent homes and proper environment quality [21]. Resettlement may disconnect inhabitants from the hubs of the labour market and intensify their socio spatial isolation [22].…”