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Dujiangyan, China
After the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, the redevelopment efforts resulted in the creation of ‘outskirt-cities’; neighbourhoods at the edge of Dujiangyan with apartment buildings not taking socioeconomic and cultural relations into account. Local inhabitants were displaced for well-suited land that became available after the destruction. Through top-down governing, the pre-disaster setting is being remade into a world-class tourist destination and heritage site. Thereby, post-disaster redevelopment is linked to socioeconomic expansion and urban reform that results in increased socioeconomic inequality. The alarming reality of gentrification demonstrates the divisions of power between actors and the interrelated societal outcomes. Through policies of the central and local government focusing on global competitiveness, Dujiangyan becomes decreasingly resilient due the replacement of local markets by industrialization and consumerism.

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OCUS, Enabling Synergy / Amsterdam, The Netherlands /  info@ocus.eu