Accumulation by Dispossession and the Truism of Urban Regeneration

Abstract

This article advances an understanding of urban regeneration shaped by accumulation by dispossession theory. Using available urban regeneration scholarship, we examine the framings and outcomes of urban regeneration projects and community responses. This analysis contributes to understanding urban regeneration thinking in global South cities, and the neoliberal strategies that make them attractive to state actors and problematic for vulnerable urban residents. The analysis focuses on Sub-Saharan African cities—a region where informality is dominant and urban regeneration is common. The findings indicate that the dispossession dynamics and consequences of urban regeneration reflect the globalization of neoliberal strategies facilitated by the state.