Land readjustment application in Colombia: Countermeasures to gentrification through PUI

Abstract

Historically, the term gentry comes from the Old French genterie 1) referring to land owners of a certain social status. Urban gentrification however, is a contemporary term associated with a process of change in social network composition, demographics, land use, build structure and real estate price. While for some scholars gentrification may be linked positively with renewal programs, this paper discusses the social consequences of displacement and the use of Land Readjustment and other strategies by the local government of Medellin, Colombia through Integral Urban Projects (PUI). Partial results of the Impact Assessment Study IAS 2008, designed by the authors and applied through direct interviews with more than 150 families involved in the pilot project are included.