Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Such features need to be added for completeness, although it must be remembered
that Fainstein's guiding principles were explicitly designed for democratic devel-
oped countries, where many of these principles are part of the rights of citizens,
whereas they are absent in poor and totalitarian states.
3.6.5
Societal Contexts
Simply proposing a set of guiding principles for decision-making, or even basing
policies upon 'rights to the city' in order to create a fairer and more just city, will
not be enough to create progress in a practical sense. There is also a pressing need
to recognize the importance of the effect of the social context in influencing ef-
fective change towards the long term goal of greater social justice (Dear and Scott
1981
). Fainstein (
2010
) and Marcuse (
2009
) both note the need for
leadership
to
promote the ideas that will initiate progress to justice, as well as the
mobilization of
support
in democratic societies to get decision-makers to accept the utility of these
approaches. As we can see from the influence of novels, such as the topics Dickens
produced about nineteenth century London and Britain, fictional narratives describ-
ing injustice can be as effective, if not more effective, than dry statistical accounts
of problems. But drawing attention to problems is only the first step. As the whole
history of the development of progressive policies in the past has shown, a great
deal of political struggle is needed before action is taken to implement the ideas
of greater justice. Moreover, the people involved in this movement cannot simply
work on the basis of what they assume to be the utility of their ideas—whether
based on the principle of fairness in the distribution of wealth and influence, distress
at the condition of the needy, or a moral duty to help the disadvantaged. They must
also counteract existing values and beliefs that work against acceptance of the Just
City and Rights to the City approaches. Two issues in particular need to be resolved.
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Counteracting Neo-Liberalism
The first problem is to effectively counteract the neo-liberal arguments about what
advocates see as the necessity of creating policies that primarily serve the market
(Harvey
2005
). One of the key arguments for many redevelopments is that they cre-
ate more amenities in an urban area, whether housing or shopping areas, making the
centre more competitive in attracting and catering for the creative workers needed
for the new economies. But the reverse is true. If a town or city has large numbers
of poor, as well as squalid environments and high crime rates, new growth is not
likely to be attracted, for these negative features will repel potential investors. So it
must be made clear that such problems need to be resolved if an urban area is to find
a better economic future. In addition, there is a practical reason for removing these
problems, namely that these individuals will become likely more productive and
better consumers, as well as being less likely to turn to crime or political violence
to achieve their aims. There is also the moral benefit of improving a sector of hu-
