Should there be a 'Right to the City'?

Henri Lefebvre coined the phrase the ‘right to the city’ in 1968, which encapsulates a set of collective rather than individual rights. It is based on two principals for urban dwellers: the right to participate in decision-making in regard to the city and the right to appropriate or “physically access, occupy, and use urban space” (Purcell 2002, 103). This original social-philosophical discussion has recently evolved to include legal arguments in the context of a global system which espouses the supremacy of human rights. Though there is not anywhere with a functioning, Lefebvre-inspired “right to the city”, radical and incremental attempts to create its foundations are occurring in South America and common law jurisdictions.