Right to a City, São Paulo

The big cities with high rates of inequality seem to experience similar problems. The "Haves" demand to be separated by the "Have-Nots" for reasons of security and  status. Gated communities flourish in different countries, irrespective of income levels and geographical locations (Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and China as well well as the US, South Africa, Canada and the UK). 

The Green Political Foundation in Berlin organizes a series of public events about megacities around the globe and the range of social problems they face. Last week Berlin hosted a podium discussion on the "Right to a City" in São Paulo, gathering speakers with background in law, civil society initiatives and political science research. São Paulo and Mexico City (featured last year) definitely have a thing in common - different areas of the city are territorialized according to income and status, where sometimes just a fence divides the slums from the luxurious residential areas. (See Picture)

Image from www.strategytalk.org

The privatization of public space, expressed  e.g in closing inner city streets for private use and getting rid of street vendors creates the problem of limited access and societal divisions. The exaggerated and luxurious ads of "utopia islands" animate citizens in the pursuit of wealth and status. Shopping centers and fancy commercialized cultural life locations emphasize the mono-functionality of consumerism. The big cities face a widening gap in society, which reminds a miniature model of global reality.