The right to the city—the freedom of all to inhabit urban space, to occupy, govern, transform, and enjoy the city, as well as to access its resources—is fundamental to quality of life and to a genuinely inclusive democracy. Claiming the Right to the City critically explores attempts to redefine Brazil’s planning model based on social justice.
Brazil’s experience in the face of profound urban challenges over the past forty years has been marked by a persistent tension between a theoretically recognized right to the city and the reality of urban policies, planning, and practice, within a context of economic inequality and unequal rights. Abigail Friendly highlights the vital role of urban social movements and participatory planning, as well as the tools used in the implementation of progressive goals, such as controlling urban vacancy and applying land value capture.
Looking to the future, Friendly proposes an approach that brings together institutions with the engagement of citizens’ movements, communities, and grassroots organizations to drive urban transformations.
Claiming the Right to the City offers an understanding of how the right to the city is realized in practice, providing lessons that are broadly applicable to cities around the world. As the Global South rapidly urbanizes, the lessons from Brazil may point to pathways for the future.