Introduction
Recently, the pace and scale of gentrification have greatly affected the locals in an area marked for development. As shown in the case scenario, the inhabitants of Downtown Brooklyn were displaced when the Albee Square Mall was replaced with City Point (Newman, 2007). In my view, I think the individuals living in Downtown Brooklyn have a right to the city. This is because they have played an integral role in the growth and development of the environment (Rosenberg, 2016). Based on this, the local government should be engaged with every means possible to protect the rights of the old community. Therefore, the locals claim the city and the right to the city should be adopted as a policy to protect the community.
Do Individuals Have a Claim to The City
Nowadays, a significant deal of effort is being devoted to promoting human rights to build a better world. Based on the facts of the case, I think the people have a claim against the city because it is their right. According to Harvey, the right to the city entails more than just the freedom of individuals to use urban resources (Jeanne, 2016). It is a collective rather than an individual right because the transformation inevitably relies on collective power to transform urbanization processes. The freedom of inhabitants of an area to make and remake a city is one of the most preciously ignored human rights. Therefore, the individuals described in the case study have a right to the city.
Rights of Long-Term Residents and Business Owners of a Place
I agree with the fact that long-term residents and business owners in Downtown Brooklyn have a right to remain. They have a vested interest in the area because they grew up and socialize with others (Rosenberg, 2016). The right to the City depicts a civilization where all the residents can influence the decisions and circumstances that influence their lives. Based on the concept of the right to the city, I have a view that the residents have a right to stay in the area.
Getting Local Government Involved
The local government play a major role in defending the old community’s rights. First, I would engage the local government and inform them about the rights of inhabitants. The local government needs to know that it is wrong to exclude the old community in developing their land or environment (Newman, 2007). To achieve this, I would organize a meeting with the local government officials. Second, I would call for a press conference using relevant media platforms and attract the local government’s attention to the residents’ rights. Through the press, the local government will be forced to look at the matter to avoid attracting the attention of human rights defendants across the globe.
I would also use peaceful protest as a last resort to getting the local government to defend the old community’s land. A peaceful protest is a powerful tool for political statements and a constitutionally protected form of expression (Wouters & Walgrave, 2017). When conducted efficiently, a protest can send a message to the intended audience. I would gather like-minded individuals and present a case on why a protest action is necessary. With other protestors, we would carefully articulate what goals need to be achieved, the message to be conveyed, and the audience to be reached.
Based on this, the local government would know that the issue is serious and require urgent attention. Therefore, a protest is a strategy normally used by the public to get the attention of authority over a given matter of public concern.
A Strategy for Establishing a Long-Term Community
The first step is to adopt the right to the city slogan in the local and political sphere. Right to city enables relevant stakeholders to understand that everyone in the community, regardless of their race, socio-economic status, and culture, has a say on what happens to the community (Easton et al., 2017). Henry describes the right to the city as the right of urban society not to be excluded from the traits and benefits of urban life (Jeanne, 2016). Right to the city has been a slogan for a social movement for a long time, and I think it is time to take it to the next level. Having the slogan as a policy would drive out fear of residents in a given area being driven out and their space given to middle-income earners in the name of expansion and development.
The second step is to increase the support base for protecting the old community from being displaced. All stakeholders need to come together to ensure that community members’ rights are protected (Johnson, 2019). For example, it is important to convince politicians that there is an advantage in protecting the rights of the old community. It is also important to ensure that social workers are actively involved in the process.
Conclusion
Gentrification is an unethical process because it takes away the rights of the old community. The residents of Downtown Brooklyn were displaced when the Albee Square Mall was replaced by City Point, as depicted in the case scenario. Individuals residing in the impacted region, in my opinion, have a right to the city. They have played an important role in the environment’s growth and development. Based on this, the local government should use all available methods to defend the rights of the old community.
References
Easton, S., Lees, L., & Tate, N. (2017). Measuring and mapping displacement: The problem of quantification in the battle against gentrification. Urban Studies, 57(2), 31–44. Web.
Jeanne, C. (2016). Comparing the right to the city concepts of Henri Lefebvre and David Harvey. Working Paper, Research Gate, Oxford.
Johnson, O. (2019). Choice and gentrification. In I. Ellen & J. Steil (Ed.), The dream revisited: contemporary debates about housing, segregation, and opportunity (pp. 329-330). Columbia University Press. Web.
Newman, A. (2007). Deal would triple the size of the Albee Square Mall in Brooklyn and add a high-rise. The New York Times. Web.
Rosenberg, Z. (2016). New York narratives: A Brooklynite remembers Fort Greene in the ’90s. Curbed. Web.
Wouters, R., & Walgrave, S. (2017). Demonstrating power: How protest persuades political representatives. American Sociological Review, 82(2), 361-383.