Human rights and the city: Including marginalized communities in urban development and smart cities

Abstract

The idea that the city belongs to all individuals inhabiting the urban space is grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the New Urban Agenda, and it is referred to as “right to the city” or “rights in the city.” This article discusses how human rights relate to the city and its inhabitants, examines the meaning of the right to the city and human rights in the city in today’s urban environment, and deliberates how to transform cities into spaces that reflect fundamental human rights principles. By looking at the situation of marginalized groups in cities, the article focuses on the questions of how to build inclusive, fair, and accessible cities and how to eliminate inequalities seen in urban communities. Because technology is often cited as one way to foster integration of marginalized communities, special attention will be given to the smart city and the opportunities and challenges presented by information and communication technologies (ICTs) for human rights, accessibility, and inclusion. Using the case of persons with disabilities as an illustration, the article argues that urban development needs to be fundamentally transformed to live up to human rights standards. Only a multi-stakeholder urban design process will produce truly inclusive urban spaces that fulfill the right to the city.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the participants of the National Science Foundation’s Sustainable Smart Cities International Workshop in May 2017 in Alexandria, Egypt, and the manuscript reviewers for their comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. For helpful discussions, I am grateful to Stacy Moak, Alison Chapman, Ajanet Rountree, Nicholas Sherwood, and Shane Burns.

Notes

1 A French term usually used for artistic productions, works, or works of art.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tina Kempin Reuter

Tina Kempin Reuter is the director of the Institute for Human Rights and associate professor in the Departments of Political Science & Public Adminstration and Anthropology, specializing in human rights, peace studies, and international politics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her research focuses on human rights, with a particular emphasis on the struggle of vulnerable and marginalized populations, especially persons with disabilities and ethnic minorities. She holds a PhD in International Relations and International Law and an MA in Contemporary History, Economics, and International Law from the University of Zurich, Switzerland.