Realising the “right to the city”

Abstract

Purpose This article aims to explore the concept of achieving the “right to the city” for marginalised communities. It uses human rights instruments and regeneration best practice to develop a toolkit of indicators for urban regeneration. The article contributes to the literature on realising economic, social and cultural rights encompassed in the “right to the city”. Design/methodology/approach The article adopts an interdisciplinary approach, involving human rights law, urban planning, housing studies, community development, housing law and social policy. It draws on primary qualitative (participative and observatory) research undertaken by the author while implementing a human rights based approach in an Irish inner‐city local authority estate from 2009 to 2013. Findings The human rights framework can be adapted to develop a set of measurable regeneration indicators. This article suggests that the application of this rights toolkit provides a greater potential for regeneration to meet human rights standards, and therefore, realise the “right to the city” in practice. Research limitations/implications The application of the human rights based approach to urban regeneration would benefit from wider empirical testing on its suitability for implementation in other countries and global regions. It would benefit from critical engagement with human rights practitioners, community groups, and state agencies seeking to realise the “right to the city”. Originality/value This is the first known academic attempt to explore the pathway of a human rights based approach to urban regeneration in order to realise the “right to the city” in practice.

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