Work

In Absence: Exploring urbs nullius and decolonising urban landscapes in ‘Australian’ cities

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: In Australian urban contexts, I argue that gentrification cannot be understood solely as a class-based process but must be recognised as a continuation of colonial dispossession, where urban redevelopment reasserts settler claims to land through the logics of improvement, ownership and spatial control. Drawing on Indigenous scholarship and the concept of urbs nullius , the article shows how Aboriginal presence is framed as decline while neighbourhoods are recast as ‘wastelands’ awaiting renewal. Through the case of Redfern, I demonstrate how contemporary urban planning and property regimes reproduce the erasure of Aboriginal sovereignty, restricting mobility, belonging and cultural continuity. By centring Aboriginal law, story, and relational ethics, the paper argues for a decolonial reimagining of urban design, one that restores accountability to Country and challenges the dominance of settler-colonial systems of value, ownership, and urban progress.

Source: Urban Studies

DOI: 10.1177/00420980261434090

Author: Kirrakee Teea Watson

Institutions: University of South Australia, Monash University

Language: English

Topic: Urban Planning and Governance

Subfield: Urban Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,900