Reconceptualizing spatial capital to unlock spatial justice

the A.U.R.A. framework

Journal Article (2026)
Author(s)

Abhijeet Chandel (TU Delft - History, Form & Aesthetics)

Rachel Lee (TU Delft - History, Form & Aesthetics)

Caroline Newton (TU Delft - Spatial Planning and Strategy)

Dick van Gameren (TU Delft - Architecture, TU Delft - Public Building and Housing Design)

Research Group
History, Form & Aesthetics
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1080/02697459.2026.2623111
More Info
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Publication Year
2026
Language
English
Research Group
History, Form & Aesthetics
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Abstract

A fundamental challenge in urban scholarship is bridging theories of spatial justice with material reality. This paper critiques static concepts of ‘spatial capital’ for obscuring the dynamic social production of spatial advantage. We reconceptualize spatial capital as a dynamic capacity and introduce the A.U.R.A. framework–a heuristic enacted through the practices of Access, Utilise, Resist, and Adapt. Synthesizing insights from Bourdieu, Lefebvre, and intersectionality, A.U.R.A. offers a rigorous methodology for diagnosing injustice and a foundation for transforming the conditions that reproduce spatial inequality in cities.