Outlines for a Theory of Urban Justice

The right to the city, now a viral political slogan, puts an emphasis on the urban condition as something other than a passive container of natural constraints and social relations. Since urban space is a social construction, the idea of urban justice must be able to identify the normative dimensions of life in cities and the qualities that make their habitat a social good. This requires a conception of justice that is more sensitive to space than has been the case in mainstream political philosophy. Cities are a relevant unit of justice because the organisation of their space is inextricably linked to social inequalities. Urban justice must include a perspective that links the urban habitat to the ability of its inhabitants to live a dignified life. Understanding the city as a right also underlines that some social goods are inherently urban and related to human agency. The capabilities approach, taken from a spatial perspective, can be particularly fruitful in outlining a theory of urban justice, as it can illustrate the relationship between the development of life competences, the physical structure of the city and the social relations created around it.