Possible Worlds: Henri Lefebvre and the Right to the City

2013/06/10 by Mark Purcell · 4 citations
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Health Professions · Social Sciences · #Homelessness and Social Issues #Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism #Urban Planning and Governance

paper · doi:10.1111/juaf.12034

openalex publication_date 2013/06/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/26

Abstract

:There has been much attention paid recently the idea of the right to the city. This article argues that in order to fully appreciate the power of the idea, we should understand it through a close reading of Henri Lefebvre’s body of work on the city and politics. Lefebvre presents a radical vision for a city in which users manage urban space for themselves, beyond the control of both the state and capitalism. However, while it calls for profound change, Lefebvre’s vision is also eminently practical; it can very much serve as a guide and inspiration for concrete action to change the city today.

Citations

• THE SOCIO-SPATIAL DIALECTIC
• Selections from the prison notebooks

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