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?

People do have a right to the city and to determine its future because they are the ones who built up and make the city come alive. In the film, “Citizen Jane: Battle For The City” Jane Jacobs says, “A city is about people, not building.” I believe that the longtime residents and businesses have a right to remain where they are because they are the first group of people who create the community. In both films, “My Brooklyn” and “Citizen Jane: Battle For The City” the local governments and urban planners are planning to rezone the downtown Brooklyn and redevelopment the city. Therefore, they forced those small businesses and the people who live there to move out. I disagree on how the local governments deal with the residents and businesses which remove the store and tear down the apartments without their permission. I feel like the city planners are not developing a better city, they are ravaging the city. However, the local governments, urban planners, and other decision-makers should take people’s opinions and find the best ways to develop the city.