The right to the city does not exist ; therefore what interests us is the social movement which asserts for the right to the city. We therefore propose to observe the the social movements through some of its demonstrations. It is not a question of fight against poverty but against urban exclusion.
General Framework :
1. The growth/construction of the city gives rise to such phenomena as segregation or exclusion of the city, with a structural and permanent character, that reproduces.
2. Within this framework, there is a reaction to this exclusion which is shown through the social mobilization of the urban participants, who try to obtain their right to the city through specific social practices, which acquire an institutional character.
3. The experience of this Franco-Brazilian Exchange Program enabled us to identify the importance of the problems of access to habitat and of the practices of land acquisition and habitat.
4. We propose to organize an observatory of these practices with members of this Program and also others who intervene in the problems : social movements, Municipalities....
Objectives of the observatory
The objective of the International Observatory of the Right to the City is to bring together the social actors and to observe their behavior, their structure, their working methods, their relations with the State and the political power, their relations with the Communities, etc, etc (to define all this) and to produce "observations" in support of this exchange programme and the practice of each one of these movements in its fight for the right to the city.
1. Identification and observation of the social movements for the right of the city through a series of themes like "occupations", the access to the urban services, and the democracy that is existing...... (see world charter on the right to the city). The objective of the seminar of Barcelona would be to formulate these more adequately.
2. Dissemination of information
3. Formulate alternatives
International Observatory Organization of the Right to the City
It is addressed to the social participants
AITEC and POLIS handle the secretariat and animation but the members of the International Observatory of the Right to the City is another organizations. This is why it should be organized.
The focus for the moment is on France and Brazil. The intervening regions are Europe and Latin America.
Methodology
Mutation : there already exists a number of observatories, and our interest is not to reproduce the existing ones. It is preferable to support a vision of the social movements.
To produce and disseminate experiences
Meetings and exchanges programmes between the social actors, organization of seminars Activities for 2004-2005
To document the Franco-Brazil exchange experience ;
To put in systems of observation ;
Exchange on the social practices of mobilization, the frameworks and institutional politcs.