2012 Theses Master's

Limited Right to City: The Changing Meaning of Public Space

Jain, Priyanka

The central question of this thesis, as the title indicates, is to question the changing meaning of public space. But, it also about measuring the constitutive role of regulations embedded in the property of public space in the functioning of marginal groups. I believe that the former is connected to the latter. The people whose rights are adversely affected by regulations around public property are marginal groups (homeless, day laborers, etc.). The changes in urban planning practices that expand the opportunities and functioning of marginal groups can thus be one of the major forces in reducing the systematic deprivation of these groups. Through the case of Homeless "Agency" and Day labor "Agency," I will examine the evidence that exemplifies cooperative approach of organization in public space rather than coercive.