The place attachment of residents displaced by urban redevelopment projects in Shanghai

Y. U.Ling Song*, Lan Hung Nora Chiang, Si Ming Li

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

    9 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This paper studies the place attachment of Shanghai residents who have been displaced by redevelopment projects. The objective is to present the condition of the displaced residents and to add another easily ignored dimension to the study of China's phenomenal urban transformation. The first author conducted in-depth interviews during summer 2004 and 2005. Thematic analysis was employed to understand the dynamics of the every day life experiences of these displaced residents. The findings show that the place attachment of displaced Shanghai residents is strongly connected with the generalized social environment and personal emotions generated through the constant bargaining in their everyday lives. In an environment of urban redevelopment in post-socialist China, bargaining place attachment is built on people's bargain with their social environment. "Bargaining" has become not only their negotiation strategy, but also the way they are attached to place-Shanghai. Moreover, bargaining place attachment legitimates the idea that place detachment is indispensable in the redevelopment of urban China.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)43-73
    Number of pages31
    JournalIssues and Studies
    Volume48
    Issue number3
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2012

    Scopus Subject Areas

    • Sociology and Political Science
    • Political Science and International Relations

    User-Defined Keywords

    • China
    • Displaced residents
    • Place attachment
    • Shanghai
    • Urban redevelopment

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