ABSTRACT
The chapter examines the challenges of the urban renewal process through cases of squatter settlements. Many stakeholders have conflicting interests in this process, and the developers and contractors gain power. The ideal urban renewal provides in-situ transformation, is conducted bottom-up, and is user led. The rationale for the local planners and economists is to balance the building’s low value with the land’s high value, demolish the existing buildings, and construct more disaster-resilient ones. The profit is so commercially high that the ordinary dwellers who are interested in the use-value remain powerless. Maximum rent is charged to attract international investors. The transformation law sped up the demolition of existing squatter houses and new construction after the 1999 earthquake. Primarily, the squatters were evacuated, and their houses declared unsafe. New construction was started. There was an unwanted result of the commercialization and commodification. Although the squatters consented to the renewal, the new houses were too expensive. Consequently, a new social group arrived. The socially displaced squatters went elsewhere, and their social bonds were broken. This city combines contrasting images with a chaotic socio-spatial texture.
