Place and displacement: Out-of-place processes in low-income communities in Shanghai and Caracas

Understanding that the concepts of place and displacement are intrinsically interconnected, this paper explores cases of displacement out of the public space within their neighbourhood of two low-income communities in Shanghai and Caracas. Empirical case-study investigations were carried out in Caracas and Shanghai with a qualitative approach. The data collection techniques were on-site observations and in-depth interviews with residents, supplemented by spatial analysis for contextualisation. The interview data and field notes were coded by identifying the main themes emerging from the participants' accounts. These demonstrated their complex relationship with place, their strong ties and a sense of place mediated by community and family bonds. Simultaneously, the data unveiled the fundamental externalities which have negatively impacted people's relationships with their public spaces, leading to exclusion. These externalities are criminal violence (not prevented or acted by the state) in the case of Caracas and government-led urban renewal interventions in Shanghai. Residents have been ultimately displaced out of the public space within their neighbourhood . The contribution of this paper focuses on assessing how criminal violence and urban renewal act as displacement drivers by discussing the residents' experiences of place and underpinning the complex role of space in this process. It argues that the loss of public spaces can be instrumental in generating further displacement since they are a valuable infrastructure for community building and everyday life socialisation. The paper concludes by arguing that this displacement process is a form of slow violence, reinforced by the action and non-action of institutions, as low-income communities continue being forced out of their places. • This article deals with the issues of place and displacement as intrinsically interconnected dimensions. • It offers insights into socio-spatial transformation, communities' experiences of place, displacement and slow violence. • The paper’s contribution focuses on displacement out of the public space within their neighbourhood . • Criminal violence and urban renewal act as displacement drivers underpinned by the role of institutions. • Displacement processes are a form of violence as institutionalised power structures continue to force people out of their place. • This paper aligns with new directions of research on displacement and place, integrating dispersed debates in urban studies.