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Gentrification or …? Injustice in large-scale residential projects in Hanoi

Author

Listed:
  • Cuz Potter

    (Korea University, Republic of Korea)

  • Danielle Labbé

    (University of Montreal, Canada)

Abstract

Large-scale residential developments on expropriated lands in periurban Hanoi resemble forms of gentrification seen elsewhere. But is it gentrification? Current debate over the definition of gentrification has focused on whether the term has become too broad to be useful in different institutional and spatio-temporal contexts. While some push for a generalisable definition based in capitalist development, others argue that the term harbours Western assumptions that fail to usefully explain unique local circumstances. The paper first identifies one such conceptual assumption that must be made explicit since it provides the term’s politicising thrust: displacement generates an experience of social injustice. Then, drawing on surveys and interviews with residents as well as interviews with real estate agents, government officials and academics conducted in Hanoi between 2013 and 2017, the paper evaluates five types of displacement on the city’s outskirts. Because displacement only occurs in marginal cases and generates limited feelings of social injustice, the term ‘gentrification’ is of little use. Instead, the paper suggests that in a context of rapid urbanisation and relatively inclusive economic growth such as that of Hanoi the terms ‘livelihood dispossession’ and ‘value grabbing’ may better capture the experience of social injustice and are therefore more likely to generate political traction.

Suggested Citation

  • Cuz Potter & Danielle Labbé, 2021. "Gentrification or …? Injustice in large-scale residential projects in Hanoi," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(12), pages 2456-2472, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:58:y:2021:i:12:p:2456-2472
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098020949035
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tom Slater, 2004. "North American Gentrification? Revanchist and Emancipatory Perspectives Explored," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 36(7), pages 1191-1213, July.
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    6. Alan Smart & Josephine Smart, 2017. "Ain't Talkin' ‘Bout Gentrification: The Erasure of Alternative Idioms of Displacement Resulting from Anglo-American Academic Hegemony," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(3), pages 518-525, May.
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