The Injustice of Gentrification

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 4 asks whether gentrification is unjust. It begins by situating our thinking in the city, which reshapes our understanding of justice by focusing on lived experiences rather than abstract ideals. Starting from experiences of injustice reveals that gentrification involves more than displacement; it represents a loss of place, power, and political status in urban life. The core injustice lies in the unequal power to shape the city, leaving affected communities vulnerable to exploitation, dispossession, displacement, marginalisation, and violence. The chapter also reflects on the situationist ethics developed throughout the book. It sets out an approach to ethical inquiry that begins with everyday experience and identifies real-world problems before moving to diagnosis and prescription. This approach reimagines the philosopher not as a theorist distant from everyday life, but as a collaborative figure, both an open-minded activist and intellectual liaison, who learns from those affected, helps generate creative responses, and brings the need for practical action and critical reflection together.

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