Interrogating Displacement and Dispossession: Socio-spatial Analysis of Chinese Business Presence and Its Impacts on Filipino Residents in an Urban Poor Community

Abstract

Gentrification has increasingly operated as a central mechanism in advancing market-oriented development strategy. In the context of the Philippines’ liberalized and deregulated environment, the influx of Chinese capital has introduced a new layer of marginalization for the urban poor: the intersection of race, class, and space. Despite the growing phenomenon of transnational gentrification, limited research has explored the nuanced lived experiences of local communities, particularly in relation to the influx of foreign businesses. This study examines the socio-spatial impacts of Chinese business presence on Filipino residents in an urban poor community in Parañaque City, which has emerged as a significant hotspot of Chinese capital investment. Utilizing a multimodal qualitative approach, the study draws on storytelling, walking interviews, key informant interviews, photo elicitation, and individual-scale community mapping, conducted with ten (10) respondents. The data were analyzed through the lenses of critical geographies of race, David Harvey’s theory of accumulation by dispossession, and Neil Smith’s uneven development. The analysis reveals the multifaceted effects of transnational capital on local lives, ranging from various forms of displacement and dispossession to experiences of deterritorialization. In turn, residents responded across a continuum of behaviors, from acts of defiance to expressions of deference, both intentional and unconscious. This study contributes to the discourse on the physico-geographic, politico-economic, and socio-cultural dimensions of urban transformation, calling for the formulation of concrete mechanisms and inclusive urban development policies.