Abstract
After describing the challenges, myths, exclusions and opportunities of urban regeneration, this article explores the potential interface between faith-based action and different forms of urban regeneration. Focusing on different South African cities, it considers how faith-based action could participate in regenerative urban work. Faith-based action will refer to the varied responses of churches and faith-based organisations to urban challenges and transitions. It interrogates whether faith-based action only represents many similar approaches that address urban problems superficially without mediating long-term, systemic change, or whether it indeed contributes to urban transformation in the sense of radical inclusivity and socio-structural spatial justice. Finally, it considers socio-theological sources that could potentially ground urban faith-based action theologically – such as an urban spirituality, an understanding of regeneration as integral liberation and mobilising socio-spiritual capital – whilst making a distinctive contribution to the processes of socially inclusive urban regeneration.
Highlights
This article explores the interface between faith-based action and different forms of urban regeneration
Faith-based action will refer to the many and varied faith-based responses to urban challenges and transitions, in particular the kind of responses aimed at healing societal fractures; engaging urban poverty, injustices or exclusion; or participating in deepening citizenship or participatory democracy in South Africa’s unfolding urban landscapes
I ask whether faith-based action only represents another in a plethora of actions that seek to salvage urban problems rather superficially without deeper long-term or systemic change, or whether it finds ways to contribute to longer term urban transformation in the sense of more radical inclusivity and socio-structural spatial justice
Summary
Author: Stephan F. de Beer Affiliations: 1Department of Practical Theology, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Faith-based action will refer to the varied responses of churches and faith-based organisations to urban challenges and transitions It interrogates whether faith-based action only represents many similar approaches that address urban problems superficially without mediating long-term, systemic change, or whether it contributes to urban transformation in the sense of radical inclusivity and sociostructural spatial justice. It considers socio-theological sources that could potentially ground urban faith-based action theologically – such as an urban spirituality, an understanding of regeneration as integral liberation and mobilising socio-spiritual capital – whilst making a distinctive contribution to the processes of socially inclusive urban regeneration
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