9. Spaces of everyday resistance: the right to the city
Abstract
Latin America has witnessed unprecedented levels of urbanization over the past few decades, which has produced informal processes and urban conflicts.
Urban spaces are more than just physical infrastructure: they are the site of class struggles, collective initiatives, and confrontations, in which citizens demand access to public services, urban resources, and dignified living from the sources of political and economic power.
Index
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About the Author
Interviewees
Andrés Chaves (urbanist and film-maker): interviewed via Skype on 11 January 2018 by Antonia Burchard-Levine. Translated by Antonia Burchard-Levine.
Luciana Cury (Coletivo Ocupe e Abrace): interviewed via Skype on 12 February 2018 by Antonia Burchard-Levine. Transcribed by Tom Gatehouse.
Marcello Deodoro (Tijuca Indiana Residents’ Commission): interviewed via email on 18 December 2017 by Jennifer Chisholm. Translated by Chris Whitehouse.
Luiz Gonzaga da Silva, aka Gegê (MMC): interviewed in São Paulo on 21 December 2016 and 28 January 2017 by Ali Rocha. Translated by Hugo Moss.
Salvador Medina (urban economist and activist): interviewed via Skype on 8 February 2018 by Antonia Burchard-Levine. Translated by Antonia Burchard-Levine.
Johans Rodriguez (1st Brigade of Polvorines): interviewed in Piura, Peru, in late January 2016 by Kary Stewart. Translated by Kary Stewart.
Emília Maria de Souza (Horto Residents’ Association): interviewed in Rio de Janeiro on 29 January 2018 by Jennifer Chisholm. Translated by Theo Bradford.
Kurt Steffens (Ciudad Emergente): interviewed via WhatsApp on 20 March 2018 by Antonia Burchard-Levine. Translated by Antonia Burchard-Levine.
References
Bauwens, M. (2018) ‘People in defence of life and territory: counter-power and self-defence in Latin America’, P2P Foundation
Boyer, H. (2005) ‘Urban land and housing challenges in Brazil’, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Carvalho, S. (2017) ‘As 9 cidades brasileiras com o pior trânsito’, Circuito D
Gatehouse, T. (2016) ‘Brazil’s Olympic flames’, Red Pepper
Gehl, J. (2010) Cities for People, Island Press, Washington DC. Green, D. and Branford, S. (2013) Faces of Latin America, 4th edn, Latin America Bureau (LAB), London.
Harvey, D. (2012) Rebel Cities: From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution, Verso, London and New York, NY.
Jacobs, J. (1961) The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Vintage Books, New York, NY.
Jaitman, L. (2015) ‘Urban infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean: public policy priorities’, Latin American Economic Review 24: 13
Johnson, S. (2014) ‘Rio’s BRT system: a tool for legacy or fragmentation?’, RioOnWatch
Lefebvre, H. (2014) The Production of Space, 18th edn, Blackwell, Oxford.
Marsh, S. (2013) ‘Antanas Mockus: Colombians fear ridicule more than being fined’, The Guardian, 28 October
McGuirk, J. (2014) Radical Cities: Across Latin America in Search of a New Architecture, Verso, London and New York, NY.
Merrifeld, A. (2017) ‘Fifty years on: the right to the city’, in A. Merrifeld, The Right to the City: A Verso Report, Verso, London and New York, NY.
Pacheco, P. (2016) ‘Brazil: My House, My Life’, World Policy
Tactical Urbanism (no date) ‘What is Tactical Urbanism?’
Further reading
Gegê/São Paulo/the MMC
- Mier, B. (2017) ‘The General Strike and the Survival of the Latin American Left: An Interview with Luiz Gonzaga Gegê da Silva’, Brasil Wire.
- Niederhauser, M. (2015) ‘Inside São Paulo’s Radical Fight for Affordable Housing’, CityLab.
- pretaportefilmes (2012) ‘Leva (documentário HD – ENG)’, YouTube (in Portuguese with English subtitles).
- Watts, J. (2017) ‘Resistance! São Paulo’s homeless seize the city’, The Guardian.
Colombia/Andrés Chaves/El Cartucho
- Parkin Daniels, J. (2016) ‘Homeless addicts and crime bosses are roaming the streets of Bogotá after a police raid’, VICE News.
- Sherriff, L. (2018) ‘Bogotá’s Bronx Is Barren, But Not for Long’, CityLab.
Brazil/Rio/urban regeneration/gentrification
- Chisholm, J. (2017) ‘Who’s invading whom? The complex battle for Rio de Janeiro’s informal settlements on federal land’, LSE Latin America and Caribbean Centre.
- Chisholm, J. (2017) ‘A Sustainable Favela?’, NACLA.
- Folha de S. Paulo (2015) ‘All about Rio in transformation: Rio a city in metamorphosis’, Folha de S. Paulo.
- Strobl, T. (2018) ‘New Eviction Threats Spur Favela Indiana to Action. Residents are Ready’, RioOnWatch.
Peatónito/Mexico City/road safety/transport
- O’Sullivan, F. (2016) ‘Challenging Latin American Cities to Change’, CityLab.
- Ramos, D. (2015) ‘Unmasked! The Mexico City superhero wrestling for pedestrians’ rights’, The Guardian.
- The National (2015) ‘Masked hero making Mexico’s streets safe for pedestrians’, The National.
Tactical urbanism
- Berg, N. (2012) ‘The Official Guide to Tactical Urbanism’, CityLab.
- EMBARQ Network (n.d.) ‘How Tactical Urbanism is Shaping Cities for People, by People’, SmartCitiesDive.
- Echenique, M. (2018) ‘Turning a Busy Street Into a Work of Art in Santiago’, CityLab.
Ciudad Emergente
- Eden Project Communities (2017) ‘The Big Lunch goes to Chile’, Eden Project Communities
- Warner, H. (2013) ‘Translating Tactical Urbanism: An Interview with Javier Vergara Petrescu’, Shareable
Coletivo Ocupe e Abrace/Praça da Nascente
- Carvalho, A. (2017) ‘Na Pompeia, a Praça da Nascente é um laboratório de cidadania’, São Paulo São (in Portuguese)
- Herzog, C. (2017) ‘Yes, in My Backyard!’, The Nature of Cities
- Vital, S. (2016) ‘Coletivos and the cities’, Horizonte Sustentável
Peru/Piura/Los Polvorines
- Reaño, G. (2017) ‘Los Polvorines: vivir en peligro’, Soluciones Prácticas
- Stewart K. (2016) ‘El Niño: When poverty erases memory’, Living in Peru
- Stewart, K. and Collyns, D. (2016) ‘In the eye of El Niño: landslides and flooding in coastal Peru – podcast’, The Guardian