What sort of justice for what sort of urban development? A systematic review and content analysis of urban regeneration programmes

Abstract

Urban regeneration interventions are known for attracting local and foreign investment in cities to improve neighbourhoods; however, the ongoing increase in these interventions has been associated with gentrification and the displacement of minority groups. With the growing scholarship on justice and urban transformation, this paper contributes to this literature by providing a systematic review and content analysis that examines how the concept of justice is conceptualised and operationalised across the global arena. Therefore, we offer a novel integrative theoretical framework of just urban regeneration that connects gentrification processes to broader debates on social justice in urban geography. Following the PRISMA method, the review examined 42 peer-reviewed articles that focus on urban regeneration (not urban governance, urban policy, or urban planning in general), and how justice is understood, interpreted, and reflected in urban regeneration, including justice typology (social, economic, environmental, spatial) and dimensions (distributive, procedural, recognition, etc.). The mixed-method approach revealed that the scholarship of urban regeneration is largely articulated through distributive, procedural, and recognition dimensions; issues of community displacement and gentrification emerge through distributive concerns, while procedural and recognition justice foreground the participation of marginalised communities. Finally, findings suggest that urban and spatial justice are linked to decision-making processes, highlighting how governance structures shape both the production and experience of injustice.