The politics of urbanity : form and knowledge

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the search for a more equitable urban environment. In Western Europe, the hope that cities are relevant forms of living and interacting, still exists. In Brussels, in the last fifteen years, the inhabitants formed a unique network of actions that attempts to recapture the city as a place where people have the right to work and live. One must look at the Brussels experience in light of the theories that led to the ideological development of the inhabitants' struggle. Theories, that share with the Brussels movement the search for social justice. The first part of this work contains an analysis of relevant aspects of Manuel Castells', David Harvey's and Henri Lefebvre's theories, and of Leon Krier's vision. The second part examines the network of urban struggles in Brussels and analyzes the relations hip of the theoretical contributions and the inhabitants' action. Finally, the conclusion will investigate the responsibility of the architect in the light of Brussels' experience.