Uncovering the drivers of climate gentrification in the Global South: Case study of Tacloban City, Philippines

Abstract

Climate gentrification is an emerging phenomenon that has received increasing attention in the literature. We find two key shortfalls in our review of its burgeoning scholarship: a predominance of research in cities of the Global North that overlook the diverse ways climate gentrification is playing out in the Global South; and over attendance to the environmental and market drivers of displacement, thus obscuring other factors that contribute to gentrification. To address these gaps, we present a case study of a planned relocation in the Philippines. Based on a survey of 300 households and 23 key informant interviews, we reveal a range of drivers of gentrification beyond climate: economic development, modernisation, access to financial capital and livelihood, housing loans and everyday expenses. We find that while these drivers are contributory, climate gentrification in the Global South is ultimately a function of politics that is obscured by a rhetoric of safety and climate protection. This case study enhances current understandings of climate gentrification in the Global South by illustrating how it is influenced by postcolonial imperatives to develop modern and climate resilient urban environments. It highlights the involvement of various stakeholders with divergent interests in wealth accumulation and demonstrates the complex, multi-directional nature of displacement resulting from these dynamics. With other Global South cities similarly confronted by climate threats and increasing competition in the global market, this paper provides insights into the evolving nature of gentrification in the 21st century.