Lefebvre’s Right to the City
As someone who appreciates the urban realm, reading Lefebvre, for the first time, appealed to me. I had always associated urbanisation with the growth of cities and the numerous opportunities cities provide for their inhabitants which would not otherwise be possible in the outskirts of city life. However, reading Lefebvre and his concepts of moments of presence in relation to art and the oeuvre completely changed my perception of urban culture and their impact on human beings (Shields, 1999). It dawned on me that the meanings associated with the actions we enact and why we as humans do the things we do, is very important in planning theory (Purcell, 2002). Thinking of the city as a social construct of “creative activity” which holds intricate symbolisms emphasises the psychological nature of cities (psycho-geography) placing the human at the forefront of creation (Lefebvre, 1967, p.149) Important concepts on urbanism that Lefebvre makes in the readings provided are that of the science of the city, the right to the city, class segregation and the concept of Oeuvre which are all essential planning strategies for creating a coherent utopian city (Lefebvre, 1967).
Lefebvre’s concept of Oeuvre which is influenced by his involvement with Dadaism, tend to the city as an absolute concept, as something that combines “the past, the present and the possible” (Lefebvre, 1967, p. 148). The role of the…
