Please click on the poster thumbnail above to enlarge the image.
Audio Presentation
Link will open in a new tab.
External Poster Media Link
Link will open in a new tab.
Home Sweet Home? Constructions of Home and Perceptions of Urban Redevelopment among South Asian migrants and Hong Kong residents in the contested space of Sham Shui Po
Abstract:
<p>Homes are important. Beyond being physical structures, homes act as repositories of distinctive meanings. Existing studies have revealed that residents’ sense of home on a neighborhood level can be positively or negatively impacted by urban redevelopment, whether it is through physical improvements, or conversely, gentrification and displacement. Nonetheless, limited attention has been paid to how different ethnic groups experience home and react to urban redevelopment within multi-ethnic neighborhoods in the pre-redevelopment phase. Under this context, I examine the different experiences of home among South Asian (SA) migrants and Hong Kong (HK) residents in the low-income, multi-ethnic, and declining neighborhood of Sham Shui Po (SSP) in HK, and their perceptions of SSP’s impending large-scale redevelopment by the Urban Renewal Authority. Drawing on data collected from mixed-methods research, I propose the term "<i>re-rooting"</i> to document SA migrants’ and HK residents’ dualistic perspectives. Numerous SA migrants have decided to "<i>re-root" </i>their lives in SSP because it “feels like home”, attributed to the large presence of “friends” and SA businesses. These factors have cultivated their thoughts against urban redevelopment. Meanwhile, HK residents often have no choice but to live in SSP because they are poor. They feel a limited sense of home in SSP to begin with given the poor living environment compared to other HK neighborhoods. The increasing presence of SA migrants who are perceived to be dirty and dangerous has made such feelings worse. These factors have revealed their desire to be "<i>re-rooted"</i> to a better living environment through governmental compensation.</p>
Keywords: sense of home, urban redevelopment, South Asian migrants, Hong Kong residents, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
Authors:
Kylie Yuet Ning Poon, University of California, Los Angeles; Submitting Author / Primary Presenter
, ;
, ;
, ;
, {SubmissionForm.presentersAuthors/affiliation#4};
, ;
, ;
, ;
, ;
, ;
, ;
Home Sweet Home? Constructions of Home and Perceptions of Urban Redevelopment among South Asian migrants and Hong Kong residents in the contested space of Sham Shui Po
Category
Virtual Paper Abstract