Neighborhood renewal at stake: feedback on speculative redevelopment in setif, algeria

Abstract

Introduction: This paper examines a type of real estate speculation that plays a key role in urban redevelopment, characterized by densification and unaffordability. Purpose of the study: The study aims to analyze how pericentral housing in the form of a garden city is being subjected to incremental renewal in the historic core of Setif, Algeria. It reflects on UN Sustainable Development Goal #11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, in terms of relationships between housing densification, loss of green spaces, and socio-economic implications. Methods: We used a survey strategy based on observation and a sustainability indicator questionnaire as quantitative sources as well as semi-structured interviews and focus groups as qualitative sources. Results: Our study revealed that the typological shift from single-family houses to multi-family apartment buildings is not driven by changing housing preferences, but rather by a profit-oriented land-use strategy. This shift has led to affordability issues and gentrification, which in turn challenge socioeconomic cohesion. The process of densification and apartmentization causes the erosion of the architectural character of buildings and the physical characteristics of the neighborhood. The study emphasizes the importance of proactive, participatory, and inclusive methods in urban planning and management for a bottom-up approach to counteract speculative neighborhood renewal driven by liberal policies. It proposes a densification toolkit to promote the principles expressed in the sustainable development goals (SDGs).