Seeking the just city

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Abstract

Starting from the acknowledgment of cities as the spontaneous and obvious theatre for civic and politics, aim of this research is to understand how and if is there a way to work, as policy makers towards a just city. Based on Fainstein definition, the term justice is the one “encompassing equity, democracy, and diversity”. Said that, is it possible to pinpoint a frame of preconditions that are essential to any urban area development in order to be considered just? Is it just a Utopia or is it an ideal worth to strive for? In order to answer those questions, an ethical definition of such concepts needs to be researched and stated. The role of management in the built environment, urban planning, and design need to be defined as well, particularly with a transdisciplair approach. How does urban planning development affect the different actors that are going to use the area? What does it mean, considering the shaping of the urban in the future?
The filer of the gap created by urban planning theory and reality becomes even more direct when talking about such a concrete base concept as justice (Young, 1990). Therefore, aim of this research is not to look-analyse but to listen-understand the specific Urban Area Development Project in order to understand the reasons behind the decisions making process, to unpack the aspirations of both policy makers and designers. Looking at HavanStad as a specific case study this graduation research will make clear how these actors have been dealing with accessibility and the right to the city.