Inclusive gentrification: presenting the ‘absent’ in the urban development of Karachi

Considering the recent demolition of shops surrounding Empress Market in the Saddar area of Karachi, the article examines the ideas driving urban development in the city. Shafaat Saleem argues that current development plans and subsequent gentrification will only benefit a specific class of capitalists and exclude the urban poor from the urban scape by displacing them and dismantling their livelihoods.