The right to the city – conceptualized by Henry Lefebvre – consists of two-component: the right to appropriate spaces and participate in processes therein. Appropriation is referred to as having a share of the space, using it, owning it, and valuing it because it has use value (as opposed to exchange value), while participation in the city includes decision making, constructing, and living in the urban space. Both components are differ based on one’s gender in a modern Iranian city, such as the capital, Tehran where this study has been conducted.
The two components of the right to the city can each be approached from three dimensions, namely the politico-economic, physical, and socio-anthropological dimensions. Based on the three levels of analysis of urban spaces introduced by Henry Lefebvre, the three dimensions have been further categorized.
The findings of this study suggest that the right to the city has not been realized equally for men and women. Structural constraints have limited women’s participation and appropriation of the city and have limited women’s rights. By extracting the components of the two dimensions of the right to the city, and by applying a quantitative methodological approach, this article aims to investigate gender differences in the realization of the right to the city in the Iranian capital city in detail.
Published by Ladan Rahbari
Follow me on Twitter
Contact me by email