The emotional and psychological impacts of London’s ‘new’ urban renewal

Abstract

Removing people from their homes in the name of regeneration is something that potentially affects their mental and physical well-being, but this is rarely explored via an experiential perspective that focuses on people’s own understanding of how their lifeworld has been disrupted. This paper considers the emotional and psychological impacts of recent council estate renewal on those displaced, or being displaced, from six London council estates. The paper reveals what it feels like to be displaced, and how these feelings — of losing one’s home and community — affect individuals’ psychological and indeed physical health. The paper concludes that displacement is often experienced as a form of slow violence which entails periods of waiting and uncertainty that cause multiple conflicts and anxiety, and that suggest that the benefits of renewal may never outweigh the costs for those who are displaced.

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