“Do it yourself” as an informal mode of space production: conceptualizing informality

Abstract

The recently resurrected theories of the “right to the city” represent new paths for scholars in planning, urban, and social disciplines who are seeking to construct a new critical urban theory and to address the injustices, insecurity, poverty, and inequalities of contemporary cities. However, few studies have been conducted to determine whether the ideal of the right to the city can be achieved in practice or to identify the principal factors that limit and hinder its real achievement. This article considers the concept of urban self-determination, which addresses the urban problematic and strives to restructure the city using a normative, rights-based approach.