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

• Published in: Buildings (Basel) Vol. 15; no. 15; p. 2766
• Main Authors: He, Pan, Zheng, Jianwen, Chen, Weizhen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• 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
• DOI: 10.3390/buildings15152766
• ISSN: 2075-5309

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.