Read the following passage and answer the question. 'When Chukwuemeka returned from abroad after fifteen years, he found his hometown almost unrecognisable. The dirt paths he had played on as a child were now tarred roads lined with storey buildings. The old market, once a modest cluster of wooden stalls, had transformed into a sprawling complex with modern shops. Yet, beneath all this veneer of progress, the old communal spirit — the warmth of neighbours who knew each other by name — seemed to have quietly evaporated.' The phrase 'veneer of progress' as used in the passage suggests that the progress described is