The social injustice of urban regeneration initiatives in the Johannesburg inner city

Abstract

Urban regeneration and gentrification typically engender a situation of ‘winners’ (such as developers and those benefiting from a process of gentrification) and ‘losers’ (the marginalised and/or displaced). Those who are displaced can become (more) vulnerable and experience homelessness and loss of social capital and all manner of livelihood and psychological insecurity. The aim of this paper is to report on the experiences of gentrification and the social injustices perpetrated by post-apartheid urban regeneration initiatives in Maboneng, a precinct of the Johannesburg inner city. Building and neighbourhood upgrades in Maboneng favoured the newly resident ‘creative class’, while reducing the availability of affordable housing in Jeppestown. By means of a phenomenological investigation, a limited number of respondents in and around Maboneng (who were identified by purposive and snowball sampling) were interviewed. Primary and secondary data was then analysed thematically, in terms of social justice and right to the city conceptual frameworks. The key findings indicate that low-income residents experienced displacement due to gentrification and this led to them losing supportive social and economic networks. This stimulated adaptive strategies and those who remained in the neighbourhood proved to be both socially and economically resilient in the face of regeneration. Additionally, it was found that the ‘winners’ were not outright ‘winners’ and they themselves experienced forms of ‘regenerational turbulence’.