The Impact of Changing Social Networks and Cultural Displacement on Gentrification: Examining Urban Social Change

Despite increasing presence of gentrification in the urban redevelopment in the world, the social implications of gentrification have not been severely looked into in the Pakistani setting. This paper examines a combination of influences of the transformation of social networks and cultural displacement in the experience of gentrification in the sample urban neighborhoods of Pakistan. The study is conducted on a quantitative methodological basis in the form of a survey, which expounds on how socio-spatial reorganization influences community relations, cultural identification and belongingness among the long term locals. Using the answers given by 250 respondents selected in three gentrifying communities, the results demonstrate that there are significant correlations between impoverished interpersonal relations, perceived cultural degeneration and experiences of alienation. The study is a contribution to the literature on gentrification as the study proposes a context-sensitive analysis based on the Pakistan urban realities that entangle the concept of gentrification with the class, informality, and kinship networks, as regards the greater development agendas. Through empirical data, this study will help point out the social aspects of gentrification, which is important to guide urban policymakers and planners when it comes to the issue of inclusive and culturally sensitive urban development.