Gentrification in Durban’s Point Precinct and its impact on access to low-cost housing
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24029033 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zwelakhe Thulasizwe Mascot Maseko (0000-0003-1594-3178, University of Zululand, corresponding author), Joyce Mdiniso (0000-0001-9618-4956, University of Zululand), Joyce Mnesi Mdiniso (University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa, South Africa) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-08-10 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Asian and African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-9096 • E-ISSN: 1745-2538 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00219096261471792 |
| OpenAlex | W7202079656 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
Gentrification is a global urban phenomenon with significant socioeconomic and spatial consequences, particularly for low-income communities. In Durban’s Point Precinct, substantial urban transformation has raised critical questions about housing accessibility and social equity. This study explores how gentrification impacts access to low-cost housing in the Point Precinct, examining how urban renewal and economic reinvestment contribute to displacement, housing exclusion, and socio-spatial inequalities. Using qualitative methods in-depth interviews with 54 participants (50 residents and 4 municipal officials), document analysis, and field observations, the research reveals that while gentrification fosters economic revitalization, it simultaneously exacerbates housing insecurity for lower-income groups. Distinctively, the findings demonstrate how market-driven displacement in post-apartheid South Africa resonates with apartheid-era forced removals, reproducing racialized spatial exclusion through ostensibly neutral market mechanisms. This historical continuity matters because it reveals how contemporary urban development perpetuates rather than remedies colonial and apartheid spatial legacies, with profound implications for spatial justice and the right to the city. The research critiques the notion of “state-led gentrification,” revealing instead a pattern of state weakness that creates conditions for market-driven displacement while failing to protect vulnerable residents. This research provides essential guidance for policymakers, urban planners, housing activists, and community organizations striving for equitable urban development in South African cities and other post-colonial contexts.
Economic Justice · Field research · Gentrification · Precinct · Public housing · Socioeconomic status · State (computer science) · Urban planning · Local Economic Development and Planning · Urban and Rural Development Challenges · Urban Planning and Governance · Urban Studies
Root Shock
Seeking Spatial Justice
The Financialization of Housing
Toward a Theory of Gentrification A Back to the City Movement by Capital, not People
Mega-events as a Response to Poverty Reduction
Durban—A tourism Mecca? Challenges of the post-apartheid era
Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis
New‐build gentrification
Why gentrification theory fails in ‘much of the world’
Possible Worlds
Thinking cities through elsewhere
Latin American gentrifications
Resisting gentrification on its final frontiers
Housing and the urban premium
Planetary Rent Gaps
Introduction
The State and New-build Gentrification in Central Cape Town, South Africa
Hybrid gentrification in South Africa
Urban Segregation in Post-apartheid South Africa
Introduction To The Forum
Gentrification, suburban decline, and the financialization of multi-family rental housing
Alternative Explanations for Inner-City Gentrification
The just city
The right to the city
New African Suburbanisation? Exploring the Growth of the Northern Corridor of eThekwini/KwaDakuza
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |