Displacement and Inequality. An Analysis of the Negative Consequences of Displacement at Society’s Margins

Abstract

Abstract The article explores experiences of displacement from housing. The data draws from qualitative semi-structured interviews with people who were displaced from their homes due to urban renewal in two cities in Finland (N=37). Most of the residents had a background in homelessness and were also in other ways in a vulnerable position in society. The aim was to examine the impact of displacement on the residents and its connection with homelessness. Gathered interviews were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The results point to the experience of inequality, which exacerbated the negative consequences of displacement for many of the residents despite the help and support provided in the process. This finding is discussed in the article with theories of urban displacement and inequality. In future research, a multidimensional understanding of inequality is needed to clarify the consequences of displacement especially for vulnerable population groups.

Keywords

• displacement
• urban renewal
• inequality
• segregation
• gentrification