Place Attachment as Spatial Resistance in Informal Settlements: A Case Study of Manshiyat Naser, Cairo. | ||
| JES. Journal of Engineering Sciences | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 05 July 2025 | ||
| Document Type: Research Paper | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jesaun.2025.392466.1539 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Emad Adel* ; Mahitab Maher; Mariam Adel; Farah Essam; Hanna Mostafa; Salma Sohaib | ||
| Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| While place attachment is commonly associated to positive experiences of safe or scenic environments, this study investigates how it emerges in stigmatized, marginalized urban spaces. It addresses a critical gap by analysing the emotional, symbolic, and economic dimensions of resistance to displacement, despite hazardous environments with inadequate living conditions and infrastructure. This study investigates how place attachment shapes resistance to relocation in informal settlements by studying Manshiyat Naser (Zabbaleen District) in Cairo as a case study, using Strauss and Corbin’s Grounded Theory approach to analyze narratives from publicly available 19 YouTube interviews of Zabbaleen residents. A structured process comprising open, axial, and selective coding was employed to develop an inductive conceptual framework grounded in the lived experiences of participants. Findings reveal that place attachment in Manshiyat Naser is more complex than factors of emotion; it is also functional as well as strategic. That becomes a form of spatial resistance – a way to assert dignity, identity, and agency. The study contributes to urban research by redefining place attachment within degraded environments through an inductively derived conceptual model. It advocates for participatory urban policies wherein communities are actively integrated in the development process and where social forms of displacement are respected through continuity in community identity geography. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Place attachment; Topophilia; Informal settlements; Slum upgrading; Relocation resistance | ||
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