Exploring the institutional factors in mitigating rural gentrification-led displacement: The case of Xiaozhou Village in Guangzhou, China

Abstract

Displacement remains a critical issue in global gentrification research, highlighting class tensions and social injustices. While recent literature has increasingly examined gentrification-led displacement, particularly in rural settings, the experiences of rural China in managing displacement have received comparatively limited attention. This paper offers two primary contributions. First, it proposes an institutional factors-based understanding to elucidate the distinctive nature of gentrification-led displacement in rural China. Second, it explores the mitigating effects and mechanisms of formal and informal institutional factors based on the analysis of the case of Xiaozhou Village. Our study finds that: 1) Formal institutional factors, including laws, regulations, planning documents, and legal titles, provide a bottom-line guarantee for villagers, mitigating spatial and economic displacement pressures. 2) Informal clan-based institutional factors mitigate sociocultural displacement pressure by reinforcing shared consensus, behavioral norms, and self-imposed codes of conduct. 3) The mitigation of direct displacement is attributed to the cooperation between these institutional factors, enabling villagers to return to their communities and rebuild their homes. These structural experiences offer valuable insights that can be flexibly integrated into the global anti-gentrification movement, advancing the theoretical understanding and practical management of rural gentrification.