The growing problem of forced evictions and the crucial importance of                 community-based, locally appropriate alternatives

Plessis, Jean du

doi:10.1177/095624780501700108

Cited by 65 publications

(19 citation statements)

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“…Moreover, the United Nations recognizes large development projects, such as the Olympic Games, as well as political conflicts, ethnic cleansing etc. as causes of eviction (AGFE 2007; Du Plessis 2005). The link with human rights is valuable for scholars and lawyers recognizing the ethical implications of eviction (Barbero 2015).…”

Section: Towards a Broader And More Inclusive Definition Of Displacement In Gentrification Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resisting ‘Austerity Gentrification’ and Displacement in Southern Europe

Annunziata

Lees

2016

Sociological Research Online

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This paper discusses ‘austerity gentrification’, austerity eviction/displacement, and resistance to them in Southern Europe during the current crisis. We focus on three cities, which until recently have barely featured in gentrification studies: Athens, Madrid and Rome. We show that eviction/displacement is being framed as a collective problem by anti-eviction/gentrification movements in Southern Europe but that more inter-class solidarity will be needed in the future. Northern European cities would do well to look at the resistance practices operating in Southern European cities.

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Section: Towards a Broader And More Inclusive Definition Of Displacement In Gentrification Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resisting ‘Austerity Gentrification’ and Displacement in Southern Europe

Annunziata

Lees

2016

Sociological Research Online

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“…Internationally there are currently many initiatives enhancing the state's ability to intervene in urban land markets to protect land from speculation and/or to ensure that the benefits brought about by market-led interventions are socially captured and distributed. The first step consists of recognizing the social value of land, which implies that urban land must not been seen merely as a commodity, but as a right where the state has a crucial role in assuring that any benefits accruing from it are distributed equitably (du Plessis 2005). As illustrated in the case of the AMA and Ashaiman, the market itself cannot ensure that the use of land will automatically generate sustainable and equitable outcomes.…”

Section: Socializing Benefits Through Zoning and Land Value Capturementioning

confidence: 99%

Irrigated urban vegetable production in Ghana: characteristics, benefits and risk mitigation

Drechsel¹,

Keraita²

2014

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This chapter serves as an introduction to the book and provides brief information about urbanization in West Africa, and in Ghana in particular, the general role of urban agriculture and the common use of polluted irrigation water. It describes our focus on irrigated smallholder vegetable production and our understanding of the terms 'urban', 'peri-urban' and 'wastewater'. The chapter reflects on some of the key challenges of the farming system, its dynamic and resilience. It also gives an overview on the structure of the book, the origins of the data and the main objective of this publication. 1.1 The Urbanization Challenge Globally, more people are living today in urban as opposed to rural areas. In West Africa, which hosts the megacity of Lagos, the population living in urban areas has increased from only 4% in 1920 to 45% in 2011. The 50% benchmark has been passed in Ghana as in the quickly urbanizing coastal belt of West Africa, while the drier and less populated northern belt of West Africa remains so far mostly rural. For Ghana, a population split of 50.9% urban to 49.1% rural (Table 1.1) has been estimated based on the 2010 census (GSS 2012c).

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“…This has generated criticism that purported solutions have been imposed on local inhabitants with little meaningful local involvement or commitment from the communities they were supposedly assisting (Olanrewaju, 2001;Pugalis et al, 2014). More socially pernicious, some improvement programmes have resulted in the relocation of the slum dwellers, thereby creating a vicious cycle of slum displacement and creation (Agbola and Jinadu, 2002;Olu, 1990;Plessis, 2005), which has some similarities with urban regeneration and gentrification issues that have arisen in the Global North. Top-down approaches to alleviate slum conditions, but also as elements of strategies to eviscerate slums, have been adopted under the assumption that slum communities were largely ignorant of their needs and lacked the propensity to take responsibility for the services provided for them (UNCHS, 1989;World Bank, 1993).…”

Section: The World Bank-funded Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reappraising the World Bank responses to rapid urbanisation: Slum improvements in Nigeria

Pugalis

Giddings

Anyigor

2014

Local Economy: The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit

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This paper reappraises a specific slum improvement programme in Nigeria that received financial backing from the World Bank. Utilising a large body of bespoke quantitative and qualitative primary research material, rarely available for slum settlements, critical attention is directed towards the mismatch between official project goals and the needs of inhabitants. The findings suggest that considerable funds have been misdirected and, arguably, wasted. It is contended that participation is not only important to identify the most crucial needs and potentialities of slum dwellers and communities -it is a major requirement for the ongoing maintenance and sustainability of urban change, which is the crux of place-based strategies. The proposition developed from this research is that considerably smaller sums of support could be channelled towards particular contexts, in a variety of place-based manners that account for spatial particularity, reflecting the specific needs and opportunities of particular communities. Of broader significance, this paper contributes to a reappraisal of slum improvement programmes, challenges some perceived wisdoms and suggests alternative approaches to the way that the issues raised could be tackled.

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The growing problem of forced evictions and the crucial importance of community-based, locally appropriate alternatives

Cited by 65 publications

References 1 publication

Resisting ‘Austerity Gentrification’ and Displacement in Southern Europe

Resisting ‘Austerity Gentrification’ and Displacement in Southern Europe

Irrigated urban vegetable production in Ghana: characteristics, benefits and risk mitigation

Reappraising the World Bank responses to rapid urbanisation: Slum improvements in Nigeria

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