What is the right to the city and what is it for? A critical key to thinking about the urban

Abstract

The right to the city has gained visibility in contemporary urban debates, yet its widespread use can turn it into a slogan stripped of critical meaning. This essay approaches the concept as a contested category that helps question how urban life is produced in societies shaped by inequality and territorial fragmentation. It examines political and institutional tensions, the risk of operating as an "empty signifier," and its relevance for debates over the commons and profit-driven logics. The essay highlights its value as a framework to assess public decisions and development models, keeping open questions about who decides, who remains, and what kind of city is being built.