Spatial justice: what it is, after Soja and Fainstein

Spatial justice is the critical concept that examines how socioeconomic inequalities are reflected in the distribution and use of urban space: what relationship exists between the geography of the city and each social group's access to resources, mobility and opportunity. Examining how space is organised reveals the patterns of exclusion that perpetuate inequality, and from that follows its demand: to distribute resources and opportunities equitably so that everyone, above all the most disadvantaged, can benefit from urban life. Two authors have formulated it: Edward Soja and Susan Fainstein.

Soja: injustice is spatial too

Edward Soja, a geographer at UCLA, argues in Seeking Spatial Justice (2010) that injustice has not only a social and economic dimension but a spatial one: the way urban spaces are distributed helps perpetuate inequality. Basic services and infrastructure are located in privileged areas while poor neighbourhoods go without them; the map of the city is the map of inequality. Soja proposes developing a spatial consciousness that allows those inequalities to be recognised and corrected through planning, and he starts from a real case: the Bus Riders Union's fight in Los Angeles for the transit of poor neighbourhoods.

Fainstein: the just city

Susan Fainstein, in The Just City (2010), complements Soja's theory with a more practical approach. Urban planning should be governed by three principles: equity, diversity and democracy. Fainstein acknowledges that they come into tension, and holds that in case of conflict equity should prevail. Urban policies — a redevelopment project, a housing policy — must be designed with regard to how they will affect the most vulnerable populations: a just city not only promotes inclusion but prevents the displacement of vulnerable communities through proactive policy, and Fainstein compares New York, London and Amsterdam to show what achieves it.

Segregation as an obstacle

Spatial segregation is the main obstacle. In many cities the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods are geographically isolated from wealthy areas and from the economic and social resources they contain. That limits their inhabitants' access to essential services such as education and health and reduces their chances of social mobility: being born on the wrong side of a motorway decides a life. Soja and Fainstein stress the importance of recognising those patterns of segregation and applying policies that promote spatial integration: transport, dispersed social housing, services where they are missing.

Access to public space

Spatial justice is also tied to access to public space. In many cities parks, squares and other public areas concentrate in privileged zones, while disadvantaged areas lack places to gather or take part in community life. The privatisation and commercialisation of public space — mall plazas, parks with controlled access — is a growing trend that, according to Soja, further restricts citizens' access and worsens inequality.

Spatial justice, as Soja and Fainstein frame it, is a critical approach for analysing how cities perpetuate or fight social inequality. It underlines the spatial dimension of justice and calls for urban policies that promote an equitable distribution of resources and opportunities. Its goal is to turn cities into inclusive spaces for all their inhabitants, and its method starts with something simple: look at the map before the statistics.