Metropolitan development and compulsory population relocation : policy issues and project experiences

Abstract

Urban renewal in third world countries has a frequent, yet seldom mentioned companion. This is the process of compulsory population displacement and relocation. National policies for urban development are usually silent about this recurrent problem. Sociologists and other academic researchers focus their attention mostly on urban growth dynamics, while rarely studying displacement as a heavy economic and social cost of this growth. Altogether, neglect of development-caused urban population displacement appears as a lacuna between thinking and planning. As a result, displacement and relocation in urban environments are frequently underprepared, underfinanced, and proceed haphazardly. This practice calls for correction. This article examines several basic issues involved in forced population relocation as part of metropolitan growth: Causal mechanisms; the typology of relocation situations; size and frequency of displacement; and the nature of the socioeconomic processes triggered by compulsory displacement. The article analyzes some experiences in World Bank-financed urban development projects and discusses options for policy alternatives in urban development. Overall, the article argues that population displacement and relocation must be regarded as part-and-parcel of policies and strategies for metropolitan development, and should be addressed with the same degree of attention given to other components.

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