On the right to the city

Abstract

The paper discusses the political usefulness and the challenges met by the right to the city concept, departing from its initial formulation by Henry Lefebvre in the late sixties. The main theoretical proposals around the concept will be briefly discussed, from Edward Soja's spatial justice to David Harvey's rebel cities, in an attempt to highlight the most important aspects of the debate and indentify its relevance for the quality of democracy.