Henri Lefebvre
1901–1991
French philosopher who coined the right to the city and showed that space is not found: it is produced.
Against the idea that space is a neutral container in which things happen, Lefebvre argued that every society manufactures its own. An industrial estate, a gated community and a public square are not geographical accidents: they are economic and political decisions turned into stone, and for that reason they can be argued over and changed.
In 1968 he formulated the right to the city, which is not the right to be in it but to transform it. It is the idea later taken up by Harvey, by housing movements and by much of the international urban agenda, and it remains the underlying question: the city is made, but who makes it?
On Henri Lefebvre in this archive
- Housing
The historic center, a deceptive facade
Walk through the historic centre of a big city and everything looks perfect. Restored facades, clean streets, full…
Henri Lefebvre 4 min read - Urban economy
Rebel Cities: Urban Struggles for Social Justice
This article explores how cities are battlegrounds for social justice, driven by urban capitalism. It discusses the…
Henri Lefebvre 2 min read - Public space
Lefebvre: urban space as a field of struggle
In The Production of Space, Lefebvre separates perceived, conceived and lived space, and shows where capital and…
Henri Lefebvre 3 min read - Urban economy
Andy Merrifield: Critique of Neoliberalism and the Right to the City
Andy Merrifield critiques neoliberalism's impact on cities and advocates for the right to the city. This article…
Andy Merrifield 2 min read - Public space
Henri Lefebvre: urban space as a social product
Henri Lefebvre showed that urban space is not a neutral setting: it is socially produced, and whoever produces it…
Henri Lefebvre 3 min read - Urban geopolitics
Henri Lefebvre: Urban Revolution as Global Process
Henri Lefebvre's 'The Urban Revolution' explores urbanization as a global process that restructures social and…
Henri Lefebvre 3 min read - Urban economy
David Harvey: the right to the city under neoliberalism
David Harvey explains how neoliberalism turned housing into a commodity, and why the right to the city means…
Henri Lefebvre 3 min read - Public space
Setha Low and Don Mitchell: Public Space Politics
Public space politics refers to the processes and dynamics that determine who has access to, control over, and the…
Henri Lefebvre 3 min read - Public space
Margit Mayer and the Struggle for the Right to the City
Margit Mayer, a German scholar, has been a key figure in the study of urban social movements and their struggle for…
Henri Lefebvre 2 min read - Public space
The Right to the City: A Struggle for Inclusion and Urban Justice
The concept of the “right to the city” was first proposed by Henri Lefebvre in 1968 and has since become a…
Henri Lefebvre 2 min read - Urban AI
The Right to the Smart City: Who Benefits from Digital Cities?
The book The Right to the Smart City (2019), by Paolo Cardullo, Cesare Di Feliciantonio, and Rob Kitchin
Henri Lefebvre 2 min read
