Doctoral Dissertation Research: Can Regularization of Former Squatters Transition Them into Urban Citizens?

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

This project examines the history of urban growth, legalization of urban squatters, and its effects on developing communities. The research will examine how different governments evaluated the issue of squatting and framed it to the public; it will identify for whom and why states legalized squatting; and it will assess the effects of legalization, including compliance and resistance. Research will be multi-method, including archival research, quantitative analysis of community characteristics and state responses, and qualitative interviews. The co-PI will remain on-site in two locations for several months to collect these data. The research helps re-theorize state-building, contributes to the literature on symbolic governance, and identifies the effects of extending urban citizenship under differing conditions.