Paper short abstract:

Currently, Southern African cities reflect the impact of expansion of the neoliberal model, usually linked to space commodification. Urban renewal and forced displacements can play an important role, freeing some well-located spaces to the market, such as pericentral self-produced neighbourhoods.

Paper long abstract:

The renewal of pericentral self-produced spaces, based on the tabula rasa of the existing urban fabric and on the peripheralization of groups with less resources, represents one of the main intervention strategies driven by the ongoing commodification of urban spaces in Southern Africa, in the current neoliberal context. Simultaneously, forced displacements represent a key element in urbanization processes. The relation between these dominant practices is what we propose to explore in our paper, taking as a case study Polana Caniço neighbourhood, in Maputo, which is a paradigmatic example of the intense transformation that has been taking place. Strategically located, near the city centre, this self-produced neighbourhood has been the object of: mercantile valorisation processes; slow renewal processes associated with luxury residential projects and a parallel real estate market; (re)construction projects of road infrastructures; and urban plans. Following an approach simultaneously theoretical and empirical, we aim to explore the territorial changes and the interactions and interrelations established between the different agents involved in this multiplicity of processes and projects. With this purpose, we will look at everyday practices and at the actions enunciated by policies, instruments and project proposals. We raise the hypothesis that the urban renewal of the pericentral self-produced spaces can result in forced displacement processes, responding to the dominant interests and promoting a more excluding city, but also generating forces and practices of resistance.