Constitutions and the Metropolis

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-77
Author(s):  
Ran Hirschl
Keyword(s):  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
Constitutional Theory ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Catch Up ◽  
The Right ◽  
The City ◽  
Spatial Governance

Extensive urbanization and the consequent rise of megacities are among the most significant demographic phenomena of our time. Our constitutional institutions and constitutional imagination, however, have not even begun to catch up with the new reality. In this article, I address four dimensions of the great constitutional silence concerning the metropolis: ( a) the tremendous interest in cities throughout much of the social sciences, as contrasted with the meager attention to the subject in constitutional theory and practice; ( b) the right to the city in theory and practice; ( c) a brief account of what national constitutions actually say about cities, and more significantly what they do not; and ( d) the dominant statist stance embedded in national constitutional orders, in particular as it addresses the sovereignty and spatial governance of the polity, as a main explanatory factor for the lack of vibrant constitutional discourse concerning urbanization in general and the metropolis in particular.

scholarly journals Characterization of Spatial Planning in Brazil: The Right to the City in Theory and Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Rocco ◽  
Luciana Royer ◽  
Fábio Mariz Gonçalves
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Planning ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
The Right ◽  
The City

scholarly journals The End of the Right to the City: A Radical-Cooperative View

2021 ◽  
pp. 107808742110578
Author(s):  
Caleb Althorpe ◽  
Martin Horak
Keyword(s):  
Original Writing ◽  
Urban Politics ◽  
Urban Society ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
Social Difference ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Right ◽  
The City

Is the Right to the City (RTTC) still a useful framework for a transformative urban politics? Given recent scholarly criticism of its real-world applications and appropriations, in this paper, we argue that the transformative promise in the RTTC lies beyond its role as a framework for oppositional struggle, and in its normative ends. Building upon Henri Lefebvre's original writing on the subject, we develop a “radical-cooperative” conception of the RTTC. Such a view, which is grounded in the lived experiences of the current city, envisions an urban society in which inhabitants can pursue their material and social needs through self-governed cooperation across social difference. Growing and diversifying spaces and sectors of urban life that are decoupled from global capitalism are, we argue, necessary to create space for this inclusionary politics. While grassroots action is essential to this process, so is multi-scalar support from the state.

scholarly journals Lebanon Cities’ Public Spaces

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Nazzal ◽  
Samer Chinder
Keyword(s):  
Green Space ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
World Health ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Land Prices ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Right ◽  
The City

In Lebanon, the social connections are undeniable and crucial. However, meeting places remain private such as houses, restaurants, malls, and beach resorts. This is mainly due to the shortage of public spaces in Lebanon resulting from lack of planning, regulations and awareness around the right to the city and the importance of public spaces. In main cities where land prices are so expensive, common practice has prioritized the use of land in real estate development, thus trumping other uses such as public and communal spaces.In the late 1990s, Lebanon saw the emergence of malls, which have arguably acted as alternatives to public spaces. Malls, with their wealth of food courts, restaurants, cinemas, and play areas, have become the new downtown for a portion of the Lebanese population. They are also considered safe, which is another important factor.In 2015, the percentage of green spaces in Lebanon has decreased to less than 13%. While the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a minimum of 9m2 of green space per capita (UN-HABITAT, 2016), Beirut has only 0.8m2.

scholarly journals Hidden geographies of social justice in an urban environment: the particularities of naturally-occurring arts districts

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter KUMER ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Right To The City ◽  
Mutual Support ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Cultural Workers ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Arts Districts ◽  
Third Dimension ◽  
The Right ◽  
The City

Despite extensive research on the role arts districts play in the economic development of cities, little is known about the dynamics of social interactions within those districts and their impact on society. Drawing on 26 interviews with actors and stakeholders of arts districts in Ljubljana, this paper explores the role of arts districts in creating a just city. Four dimensions of such districts, which represent the meaningful themes that emerged from the data, are examined. The first dimension is the interrelationship of artists, cultural workers and activists. The second dimension encompasses mutual support and forms of self-governance, whereas the third dimension investigates the role arts districts play in the neighbourhood. The fourth dimension seeks to define the role of arts districts as part of urban development generally driven by capital. The results show that arts districts are important in the struggle for the right to the city. Actors from these districts are committed to addressing the causes of social inequality at their root via artist-led civic engagement activities.

Henri Lefebvre

Urban Studies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Zieleniec
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
Social Production ◽  
Henri Lefebvre ◽  
Production Of Space ◽  
The Social ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Right ◽  
The University ◽  
The City

Henri Lefebvre is now established as one of the most important social theorists of the 20th century. Over a long life (b. 1901–d. 1991) he wrote and published prodigiously more than sixty books and several hundred articles on a range of issues and themes. His legacy and lasting impact not only includes being the most influential and seminal theorist on the reprioritization of space in social and critical analysis but also recognition for his contribution to the analysis of everyday life, modernity, the Right to the City, and the urban. He continues to influence and inspire research across a number of disciplines and fields; these include rural and regional studies, sociology, geography, politics, philosophy, and urban studies. Lefebvre’s commitment Marxism; his nondogmatic and humanist approach to the definition, discussion, extension, and application of key concepts; and his integration of those concepts into his various analyses of the rural and the city, of the state, of space and politics, and of modernity and everyday life led him to a conflicted relationship and at times marginalization within the structuralist-influenced French Academy and the Communist Party of France in which he was a member for thirty years. His anti-Stalinist stance and nonconformist opposition to the structural determinism prevalent within the party led to his expulsion, but throughout the 1960s, as professor of sociology at the University of Strasbourg and latterly at the new university at Nanterre, he became one of the most respected teachers and intellectuals inspiring and influencing the May 1968 student revolt. Lefebvre’s work after that, still influenced and committed to Marxist dialectics and critique, increasingly focused on the urban, the social production of space, everyday life, modernity, and the survival of capitalism. Of these his introduction of the concept of the right to the city and the social production of space have been immensely influential for a range of urban scholars and theorists and his work as a whole is being increasingly adopted, adapted, and extended by a variety of researchers of the city in a range of disciplines. The works selected below reflect Lefebvre’s long career and extensive corpus of work. However, only those books and articles that have been translated into English are included here. They represent his exegesis of Marxism and its application to a range of themes that were applied or are important for urban analysis. The secondary literature cited is organized thematically and while not comprehensive provides an overview of the expanding literature on, about, and applying Lefebvrian analysis.

CRISE, RENTISMO E OS LIMITES PARA O DIREITO À CIDADE HOJE NO BRASIL

GEOgraphia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (42) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Pedro Henrique de Mendonça Resende
Keyword(s):  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Urban Land ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
Land Conflict ◽  
Brazilian Society ◽  
The Social ◽  
Belo Horizonte ◽  
The Right ◽  
Social Wealth ◽  
The City

Resumo: As três primeiras partes deste artigo apresentam três elementos que perpassam a sociedade brasileira contemporânea: os limites irreversíveis alcançados pela reprodução social do capital, as formas rentistas de acumulação capitalista da riqueza social e os obstáculos à realização do direito à cidade. Na quarta parte deste artigo os três elementos anteriormente apresentados são brevemente articulados por meio de apontamentos acerca de fenômenos e processos relacionados aos conflitos presentes na região das ocupações da Izidora, localizada na periferia norte da metrópole de Belo Horizonte.Palavras-chave: Crise de reprodução do capital. Rentismo. Direito à cidade. Conflito fundiário urbano. Ocupações da Izidora (Belo Horizonte/MG). CRISIS, RENTISM AND THE LIMITS TO THE RIGHT TO THE CITY TODAY IN BRAZILAbstract: The first three parts of this article present three elements that permeate contemporary Brazilian society: the irreversible limits currently achieved by the social reproduction of capital; the rentier forms of accumulation of capitalist social wealth; and the obstacles to the realization of the right to the city. In the fourth part of this article the three elements previously presented are briefly articulated by means of notes about phenomena and processes related to the conflicts in the region of occupations Izidora, located on the northern periphery of the metropolis of Belo Horizonte.Keywords: Crisis of capital reproduction. Rentierism. The right to the city. Urban land conflict. Region of occupations Izidora (Belo Horizonte/MG). CRISE, RENTISME ET LES LIMITES DU DROIT À LA VILLE AUJOURD’HUI AU BRÉSILRésumé: Les trois premières parties de cet article présentent trois éléments qui imprègnent la société brésilienne contemporaine: les limites irréversibles actuellement atteintes par la reproduction sociale du capital; les formes rentières de l’accumulation de la richesse sociale capitaliste; et les obstacles à la réalisation du droit à la ville. Dans la quatrième partie de cet article, les trois éléments précédemment présentés sont brièvement articulés à travers des notes sur les phénomènes et les processus liés aux conflits dans la région des occupations Izidora, situé à la périphérie nord de la métropole de Belo Horizonte.Mots-clés: Crise de la reproduction du capital. Rentisme. Le droit à la ville. Conflit foncier urbain. Région d’occupation Izidora (Belo Horizonte/MG). 

The city of law

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-212
Author(s):  
Kirsten Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Urban Life ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
Spatial Turn ◽  
Spatial Justice ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Legal Construction ◽  
The Right ◽  
The City

AbstractThere is now a well-established ‘spatial turn in law’. However, it remains oriented towards notions of space rather than law. How, then, to capture both the spatiality of law and the legality of space? This article draws on Bruno Latour's concept of the legal construction of the ‘social’ to explore the assemblage of the city of law. It shows how law functions as a particular form of association in urban life by tracing two key forms of urban legal association in London, the city of law. The first form is ‘legal ordering’. This seeks to order urban life through domination, and includes citadel law, police law and laws of exception. The second is ‘legal consociations’, which build new forms of urban life, such as urban rights, the rights of the city and the right to the city. Finally, the article explores the creation of a spatial justice that can build more just legal associations.

scholarly journals ANÁLISE DO ESPAÇO PÚBLICO URBANO: o caso do Parque Mangal das Garças

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (16) ◽  
pp. 11068
Author(s):  
Fernanda da Silva de Andrade Moreira ◽  
Karen de Nazareth Santos Nogueira
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
Social Production ◽  
Urban Public Space ◽  
Physical Sense ◽  
Theoretical Support ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Right ◽  
The City

ANALYSIS OF URBAN PUBLIC SPACE: the case of Mangal das Garças ParkANÁLISIS DEL ESPACIO PÚBLICO URBANO: el caso del Parque Mangal das GarçasOs espaços públicos urbanos têm sido objeto de estudos frequentes, pois, são nesses espaços que ocorre a produção social da cidade. Entendem-se como espaços públicos, em seu sentido físico, a praça, a rua, os parques entre outros. O presente estudo tem como objetivo central analisar o espaço do Parque Mangal das Garças, investigando os conceitos de espaços públicos e suas novas formas de exteriorização, no intuito de perceber de que maneira a população de Belém o percebe como espaço público no seu sentido mais amplo: o de instrumento para a promoção do direito à cidade. A metodologia utilizada foi a de entrevista orientada com 20 transeuntes no dia 18 de setembro de 2017 aplicada sob o suporte teórico de estudiosos da área.Palavras-chave: Urbanização; Espaços Públicos; Produção Social; Acessibilidade.ABSTRACTThe urban public spaces have been the object of frequent study, since it is in these spaces that the social production of the city occurs. They are understood as public spaces, in their physical sense, the square, the street, the parks among others. This study aims to analyze the space of Mangal das Garças Park, investigating the concepts of public spaces, and their new forms of exteriorization, in order to understand how the population of Belém perceives it as a public space in its broadest sense the instrument for the promotion of the right to the city. The methodology used was an interview with 20 passers-by on September 18, 2017 applied to the theoretical support of scholars in the area.Keywords: Urbanization; Public Spaces; Social Production; Accessibility.RESUMENLos espacios públicos urbanos han sido objeto de estudio frecuente, pues, son en esos espacios que ocurre la producción social de la ciudad. Se entiende como espacios públicos, en su sentido físico, la plaza, la calle, los parques entre otros. Este estudio tiene como objetivo central analizar el espacio del Parque Mangal das Garças, investigando los conceptos de espacios públicos, y sus nuevas formas de exteriorización, con el fin de percibir de qué manera la población de Belén lo percibe como espacio público en su sentido más amplio : el de instrumento para la promoción del derecho a la ciudad. La metodología utilizada fue la de entrevista orientada con 20 transeúntes el día 18 de septiembre de 2017 aplicada al soporte teórico de estudiosos del área.Palabras clave: Urbanización; Espacios Públicos; Producción Social; Accesibilidad.

Reflections on a Politics of Research for the Right to the City

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 383-401
Author(s):  
Éva Tessza Udvarhelyi
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Unique Form ◽  
Grassroots Organizing ◽  
Flexible Framework ◽  
The Right ◽  
The City

The idea of the “right to the city” (Lefebvre 2003), based on the understanding of the ‘urban’ as a unique form of human existence, has become a popular framework both for thinking about social justice in a specifically urban context and as a profound and at the same time flexible framework for urban grassroots organizing. Through theoretical exploration and practical examples, the aim of this paper is to contribute to the formation of a politics of research and knowledge production that suits the concept and practice of the right to the city. Based on an expansion of the “right to research” as developed by Arjun Appadurai (2006) and heavily influenced by the theory and practice of Participatory Action Research, the overall argument of this paper is that the right to research has to be acknowledged as an inevitable component of any struggle for the right to the city.

scholarly journals Not tourism-phobia but urban-philia: understanding stakeholders’ perceptions of urban touristification

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asunción Blanco-Romero ◽  
Macià Blàzquez-Salom ◽  
Marc Morell ◽  
Robert Fletcher
Keyword(s):  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ruling Class ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Price Increases ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Right ◽  
The City ◽  
City Centres

Tourism development affects prominent city centres worldwide, causing social unrest that has been labelled “tourism-phobia.” This article problematizes the recent appearance of this term by unravelling the links between the materiality of contemporary urban tourism and the response it receives from social movements opposing its expansion. We endeavour to understand the meaning that different actors involved in the city's touristification attach to this term, and in particular the perceptions of citizens’ movements that claim to espouse not tourism-phobia but urban-philia. To analyze these dynamics, we draw on Lefebvre’s discussion of the “right to the city” to highlight the extractive productive relations characterizing the tourism industry and the contestations such relations trigger. Taking the example of two Spanish cities (Barcelona and Palma), our findings indicate that the social malaise found in tourist oversaturation is due to the disruption it causes to everyday life, including price increases and rising rents. Consequently, the discomfort popular mobilisations have generated among the ruling class has led the latter to disqualify and even criminalise the former’s legitimate claims under the label of tourism-phobia. To conclude, we call for a future research agenda in pursuit of social justice and equity around re-touristification, de-touristification or even tourist degrowth.

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