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? 

Every city has unique attributes that distinguishes them apart. I believe all persons have a right to the city in which they live. Longtime business owners and residents have helped to provide these unique cultural attributions that most major cities are known for. Both longtime business owners and residents should not only have the right to remain where they are, but also be included in the decision-making process when it comes to redevelopment of these communities. In both films “My Brooklyn” and “Citizen Jane: Battle for the city,” we’ve seen persons who were either threatened to be force out or forced out of their communities due to remodeling and or financial insufficiency caused by redevelopment. Local government agencies and urban developers should reinsure that citizens of the community are included in all urban development projects, properly address the concerns and needs of the community, and implement a law that prevents residents from being displaced from their community due to redevelopment. It is essential to keep longtime residents and business owners in the communities in which they contributed unique qualities to. They are an essential part in developing and maintaining the cultural foundations of that city.