Losing One’s Place During Policy Suspension: Narratives of Indirect Displacement in Shanghai’s New-Build Gentrification

While existing studies document physical and economic impacts of new-build gentrification, the temporally protracted trauma of indirect displacement in communities adjacent to redeveloped areas remains understudied. Employing constructivist grounded theory, this study asks the following question: ho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBuildings (Basel) Vol. 15; no. 15; p. 2766
Main Authors He, Pan, Zheng, Jianwen, Chen, Weizhen
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2025
Subjects
Alienation
Attachment
constructivist grounded theory
Dormitories
Economic impact
Factories
Gentrification
indirect displacement
Low income groups
Middle class
new-build gentrification
place-based trauma
policy suspension
Redevelopment
Shanghai
Social networks
Social organization
Swimming pools
Tennis
Workers
United States
China
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Summary:While existing studies document physical and economic impacts of new-build gentrification, the temporally protracted trauma of indirect displacement in communities adjacent to redeveloped areas remains understudied. Employing constructivist grounded theory, this study asks the following question: how do residents experience place attachment erosion during prolonged policy suspension in Shanghai’s new-build gentrification? Through iterative analysis of 25 interviews, we reveal a temporal vicious cycle of waiting triggered by uneven redevelopment and policy inertia. This cycle systematically dismantles belonging through several mechanisms: (1) chronic place-identity deterioration; (2) progressive social network fragmentation; (3) the collapse of imagined futures; and (4) the ambiguous loss of place attachment—where physical presence coexists with psychological disengagement. Crucially, we redefine indirect displacement as a temporal erosion of place identity and attachment, revealing a paradoxical state of physical presence coexisting with psychological disengagement. This paper provides a new perspective for better understanding the different dimensions of indirect displacement in new-build gentrification, which will help inform equitable development efforts that are more inclusive and just.
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ISSN:2075-5309
2075-5309
DOI:10.3390/buildings15152766