4. Villagers’ Understanding of Social Inclusion

This chapter explores how the notion of inclusion is understood by villages in terms of citizenship as identity and as the process of struggle for rights. After sketching out a general socioeconomic picture of the six studies cases, it discusses how villages look at themselves as being urban citizens based on their self-identify. Villagers’ sense of inclusion is generally aligned with their financial status; in cases where villagers have a strong financial status, they also show a high level of sense of inclusion; besides, the sense of inclusion is also influenced by how villagers participate in the process of redevelopment. Finally, a study on the process of villagers’ struggle for rights demonstrates that what villagers strive for is not only a fair compensation for a secured livelihood, but also the rights to have a say and to not being displaced from urban life in renewed centrality.