Contested urban landscapes : development-induced displacement, involuntary resettlement and state violence in Kochi, Kerala

Abstract onlyIn the densely populated urban center of Kochi, the cost of major development projects is often felt by the urban poor in the city’s margins, who are displaced by the changing landscape. With the development of the International Container Trans-shipment Terminal in 2008 came the promise of economic development for the region. But families in Kochi, the city with the highest urban population in the most urbanized state in India, faced forcible eviction, displacement and resettlement in insufficient housing communities without compensation. This study traces several instances of internal displacement due to development projects in Kochi, India, and concludes that the simultaneous rehabilitation of displaced people, with their active participation, is the only way to move forward