Do people have a right to the city? Do longtime residents and businesses have a right to remain where they are?  If so, how should local governments, urban planners, and other decision-makers ensure these rights are maintained?

Like Jane Jacobs, I believe that people have a right to the city they live in because they are the ones who reside their and give a city life. Without them, a city would be a ghost town. No energy, no feeling and no purpose.

Many longtime residents and businesses have spent decades building the businesses, communities and genuine neighborhoods that we love within the city. Even though change is inevitable, they have the right to remain where they are, without additional pressure, such as rent increase, forcing them out.

In the documentary “My Brooklyn”, we saw how the government, urban planners and other decision-makers dealt with the long-term locals when it came to the development of Fulton Mall. They didn’t care about what happened to them after they got permission to develop. They only saw the master plan for a new and prosperous area. Decision makers, urban planners and the government need to ensure that the rights of locals are met by listening to their concerns when new development projects are being proposed. They should not be evicting individuals from their business or home.  However, they should take time to walk among the locals, experience the city like a they do and seeing the individuals that make up a community would help influence the design of a new development in an existing neighborhood that is more community-focused.