Today we discussed readings by two authors with similar (urban justice) goals- but rather different methods of analysis and conclusions.  Susan Fainstein, a Planning professor at Harvard University, offers three principles that she thinks should be used to reshape our approach to urban planning- Democracy, Diversity, and Equity (see the rest of her book for case studies in which she used these principles to evaluate specific planning projects).  David Harvey, a Professor of Marxist theory and practice at the CUNY Graduate Center, argues that we must address the central contradictions of capitalism (that we’ve been discussing throughout the semester), which he traces through urbanization/urban growth/uneven development processes.  As many of you pointed out in your reading responses, he concludes that we (the people) must take control over these processes, or in other words, demand and enact a (collective) “right to the city.”  These readings highlight the lack of consensus that exists, even on the left, around what can/should be done to address issues of injustice and inequality.  They also leave a lot of questions unanswered, like what a just city/urban revolution would look like about and how exactly we might get there from here.  Please use these readings in your group projects to help you and your community contact  imagine, explore, and specify the range of possible responses.