Resisting developers

Refusing redevelopment

Description

Resisting developers involves organized actions by communities, advocacy groups, or local authorities to oppose or limit construction projects that threaten environmental integrity, social cohesion, or cultural heritage. This strategy employs legal challenges, public campaigns, and policy interventions to halt or modify developments deemed harmful. Its practical intent is to safeguard public interests, ensure sustainable land use, and remedy issues such as displacement, habitat destruction, and loss of community resources caused by unchecked development.

Implementation

In China, there is a phenomenon called the dingzihu, or the “nail house”. Dingzihu are real estate hold-outs: homes of people refusing compensation from corporations or mandatory acquisition by the government in order to make way for development.