Searching for the Just City: Debates in Urban Theory and Practice

This book critically explores the possibilities and limits of the concept of a “Just City”, offering practical and theoretical lessons for planners seeking social justice in urban areas. The volume assembles a range of perspectives from planners, architects and geographers (such as Susan Fainstein, David Harvey and Peter Marcuse). Many of the chapters focus on New York or other American cities, although there are also contributions by urban researchers in Brazil, Israel and Europe.

Part I explores the theoretical foundations of the Just City debate, beginning with Susan Fainstein’s review of past approaches and possible criteria for assessing urban justice (Chapter 1). While accepting the existing capitalist order, Fainstein suggests that realizing a Just City requires counter-institutions that can broadly re-frame issues and mobilize resources to fight for their aims (page 35). Planners are also urged to change the dialogue so that “…demands for equity are no longer marginalized”, which would help in “…reversing the current tendency that excludes social justice from the aims of urban policy” (page 35). Critiques of Fainstein follow in Chapters 2–4: David Harvey highlights the importance of collective struggle and re-imagining cities to fit with collective needs and desires; Frank Fischer argues for utilizing discursive planning to expose and challenge the normative assumptions in prevailing discourses; and Mustafa Dikeç emphasizes greater sensitivity to spatial dimensions of justice.

Contributors to Part II seek to expand the debate while also examining the limits to the Just City. Peter Marcuse appeals for planners to grapple with power and other structural issues; he calls for “commons planning”, which raises larger issues and proposes alternatives, rather than simply seeking justice for individual parties. Recent challenges to the Just City have been encountered in Amsterdam, amid rising levels of intolerance (Chapter 5 by Novy and Mayer), while other authors discuss urban justice and recognition in Beer Sheva (Chapter 6 by Yiftachel, Goldhaber and Nuriel). Chapter 8, by James DeFilippis, discusses globalization, competition and economic justice, focusing on New York’s unregulated service industries, including a brief discussion of living wage campaigns, immigrant worker centres and other efforts to secure economic justice.

Part III turns to practical experiences and seeks to move from debate to action. New York’s experiences are featured in Chapters 9 and 10. J Phillip Thompson discusses the largely ineffective efforts in post-Katrina New Orleans to promote reconstruction and racial equality (Chapter 12). Erminia Maricato discusses Brazil’s creation of a Ministry of Cities and the 2001 approval of a City Statute as major victories for social movements, but implementing the statute has been challenging in the prevailing neoliberal environment and long-standing patrimonial politics (Chapter 11). The useful conclusion by Potter and Novy identifies key themes from the volume and remaining questions that can advance Just City research, such as examining its links with environmental sustainability, gender or sexuality, and questions of scale and spatiality (pages 233–235). Peter Marcuse’s post-script reflects on the Right to the City movement, identifies several principles undergirding the Right to the City, and argues that theory and practice should be brought together in establishing this key right.