Reappropriating the Void: A Conceptual Framework of Spatial Adaptation and Cultural Resilience in Post-Displacement Resettlement.

Development-induced displacement has become an increasingly prominent feature of urban renewal in Malaysia, often resulting in the relocation of communities into resettlement housing environments that differ significantly from their original socio-spatial contexts. While public spaces in these settings are intended to support social interaction, they frequently fail to accommodate the cultural practices and everyday needs of resettled populations because existing urban planning frameworks tend to emphasize physical provision and functional efficiency over cultural resilience. To resolve this gap, this paper presents a non-empirical, theoretical conceptual framework that bridges spatial production theory and social-ecological resilience models. We argue that community-led spatial reappropriation is the primary physical mechanism through which displaced populations maintain cultural continuity and adapt to their unfamiliar settings. We conceptualize four distinct spatial reappropriation contexts: streets as temporal social spaces, residual and marginal spaces as everyday third places, house compounds as semi-public spaces, and institutional anchors as stabilizing hubs. By transforming planning voids into culturally meaningful environments, these reappropriations preserve spatial memory, foster social cohesion, and mitigate the psychological trauma of cultural dislocation. The paper concludes by presenting key research and planning implications, offering propositions regarding previously untested relationships to guide future empirical validation and culturally responsive public space stewardship.

Public space; resettlement housing; cultural resilience; spatial reappropriation; third places.

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