Interactive gallery

Inclusive Cities

Reflective questions

References

Rafael Padilla Lopez A01384546

Reflective questions

Human rights that are being violated or challenged:

• Right to Education and Quality of Life: The photograph showing children in a Brazilian favela points to denial of basic rights such as access to quality education and adequate living conditions. This generally inhibits these children from accessing opportunities to live with dignity, thus breaching Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which concerns adequate standards of living (Brasile, Il Rapporto Sui Bambini: 9 Milioni Sono in Povertà Estrema, 2024).

• Right to Freedom and Mobility: The lockdown protests in Shanghai indicate obstacles in the path to freedom of movement. The stringent "zero COVID" policy introduces crippling limitations on a person's free movements, bringing with it pressure and mistrust in government and engendering heightened tension concerning citizens' freedom of movement (Universal, 2024).

Reflective questions

Concepts:

• One relevant concept is recognition - a claim of acknowledgment of one's cultural or social identity by society. For example, in the struggle for Indigenous rights exemplified in the photograph from Oklahoma, Native Americans demand that their land rights and sovereignty be understood and recognized. The present struggle illustrates both Honneth's theoretical approach toward cultural identity and the spectrum of Indigenous peoples' pursuit of such recognition from mainstream society. This acknowledgment through recent legal victories exemplifies a migration from the reified false identities imposed upon Indigenous peoples towards acknowledgment of their very real claims (Kavate, 2020).

Reflective questions

Types of "Differentiated citizenships":

• Half-way Citizenship: Children in Brazilian favelas live in poverty and do not have easy access to education and healthcare, demonstrating that socio-economic drivers create "second-class" citizenship, thus depriving children of equal opportunities.

• Exclusive Citizenship: The Poland-Belarus border crisis provides a contemporary example of denied citizenship, whereas migrants are denied routing towards safe havens while facing extreme hostility. They are unfortunately not granted with sovereign protection or the rights that accompany formal citizenship (Chance et al., 2021).

Reflective questions

Two democratic values that are being challenged:

• Amazingly, the consequence of unsafe infrastructure for bikers in Mexico City, through the unfortunate accident resulting in the death of Tiffany Mundo, magnifies the faulty concept of justice that cannot be considered fulfilled as citizens are non-cohesively enjoying safety in their inclusive mobility. This implies that urban policies hardly protect all road users equally (Morales, 2023).
• Government-imposed strictures in Shanghai have effectively curtailed public participation by way of lockdowns. These decisions, undertaken by the government alone, serve to tarnish citizens' voice in such decision-making, embodying the very antithesis of participatory democracy on matters of public health (Universal, 2024).

Reflective questions

Two signs of inequality:

• The differences between the two groups occur differently through race, wealth, and politics-education: Poverty traps young explorers in situations where neither access to proper care nor sufficient education is available. This supports the cycle of poverty that entrapped the children having no mobility towards the horizon free of the poverty issue, and that is highlighted in wealth distribution.
• The historical legacy of an apartheid regime on socio-economic opportunities is reflected in the South African photographs. A sustained pattern of inequality based on race persisted through laws such as the Group Areas Act, which ensured access to resources based on institutionalized policies of systemic racism (Njiokiktjien, 2019).

Reflective questions

The meaning of an "inclusive city":

• An inclusive city is one that guarantees equitable access to resources, safe spaces and mobility for all its inhabitants, regardless of their social, economic or racial status. In this context, the most urgent challenge to address is the inequality faced by marginalized communities, such as those in Brazil's favelas. Addressing this inequality would be fundamental to achieving inclusiveness by ensuring equal opportunities for quality education, healthcare and safe living environments for all. Such equity is essential to foster an inclusive, resilient and sustainable urban environment, in line with the objectives of Goal 11 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Brasile, Il Rapporto Sui Bambini: 9 Milioni Sono in Povertà Estrema, 2024).

References

• Morales, L. E. (2023, November 23). "Chofer la vio y le aventó el camión", denuncia la hermana de Tiffany, ciclista atropellada en Chapultepec. El Heraldo De México. https://heraldodemexico.com.mx/nacional/2023/11/23/chofer-la-vio-le-avento-el-camion-denuncia-la-hermana-de-tiffany-ciclista-atropellada-en-chapultepec-557251.html
• N/A. (2024, November 4). "Ya no podemos más": habitantes de China enfurecen al ser confinados por Covid. Cadena Noticias. https://cadenanoticias.com/internacional/2022/06/ya-no-podemos-mas-habitantes-de-china-enfurecen-al-ser-confinados-por-covid
• Kavate, M. (2020, October 6). Native American activists make gains, but philanthropy “Continues to scratch the surface.” Inside Philanthropy. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2020-7-28-native-american-activists-make-gains-but-philanthropy-continues-to-scratch-the-surface
• Brasile, il rapporto sui bambini: 9 milioni sono in povertà estrema. (n.d.). La Difesa Del Popolo. https://www.difesapopolo.it/Media/OpenMagazine/Il-giornale-della-settimana/ARTICOLI-IN-ARRIVO/Brasile-il-rapporto-sui-bambini-9-milioni-sono-in-poverta-estrema

References

• Chance, M., Ullah, Z., Mortensen, A., & Mackintosh, E. (2021, November 18). Los migrantes dejaron todo para llegar a Europa a través de la frontera entre Belarús y Polonia. Ahora son enviados de a cientos a sus países. CNN. https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2021/11/18/europa-frontera-migrantes-belarus-bielorrusia-trax/
• Njiokiktjien, I. (2019, April 29). La primera generación que ha crecido sin restricciones económicas ni segregación racial aprobada por el gobierno revela un país que lidia con el cambio. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.es/historia/2019/04/el-apartheid-termino-hace-29-anos-como-ha-cambiado-sudafrica

A stroke in Brazilian childhood

Children inhabiting a favela in Brazil – heart-wrenching photo illustrating the harshness of social inequality and the dire cost paid by children. Many of these children are living in conditions of severe poverty, where daily life is a fight for survival amidst a lack of basic services such as quality education, affordable health care and safe housing. Widespread food insecurity threatens a meal on the table every day, often without substantial nutritional value. This leads to a worrying situation in which the most fundamental of all human rights are stripped from millions of children in Brazil and worldwide, denying them access to and the essence of opportunities, dignity inherent to every child(Brasile, Il Rapporto Sui Bambini: 9 Milioni Sono in Povertà Estrema, 2024).

The roots of an undesirable past

The actual racial segregation in South Africa where such power relations have been made rigorous as espoused by the Area Grouping Act of 1950 that demonstrate how power arrangements deeply influence identity and social relationships. Directed by this legislation, citizens of all races were treated as groups and segregated into "designated compartments" separating residential spaces from commercial zones based on demarcating colors, erecting false identities in society that bound opportunities to individuals while entrenching archaic inequalities. This segregation had the effect of wider exclusions from resources, education and economic mobility so that over time the experience of millions became codified under a state policy which institutionalised division (Njiokiktjien 2019).

A cold welcome from the Polish border

The border situation between Poland and Belarus is of a migration crisis with dire humanitarian implications. Hundreds of migrants, in their desperate attempt to cross the border, are facing a violent and repressive response from the Polish authorities. Some 500 migrants attempted to breach the border fence within 24 hours on some occasions in groups upwards of 500 members. This unfortunate situation reflects the sordid-world exclusion the individuals face, who are forced into risking their lives while seeking a safer way to live (Chance et al., 2021).

Small victories by brave natives

With years and sometimes generations of organizing and advocacy that have made them possible, recent victories for tribal nations and Native American activists began with legal recognition of nearly half of Oklahoma as Native land, construction of the Keystone XL pipeline being blocked, Dakota Access pipeline ordered drained and overhauled, and the Washington NFL team renaming-a hefty victory in the struggle for Indigenous justice (Kavate, 2020).

The Tesion Among Pandemic Agenda

The protests in Shanghai denouncing the on and off lockdown contrasts with an increasing worldwide friction between health measures and rights. China's authoritarian "zero COVID" approach to controlling the virus has proven successful but also prompted protests in heavily populated cities. We see growing frustration with restrictions on peoples' mobility, with closures of so many businesses, and with the disruption to social and economic life. Mass quarantines, even in less high-risk areas, will breed suspicion and distrust against authorities (Universal, 2024).

A fatal tragedy against cycling

The unfortunate but pressingly ironic death of Tiffany Rosalía Mundo is a clear reminder of the great dangers to life that alternative modes of transport - cycling included - pose every day in Mexico City, with the rider being crushed by a bus on November 21, 2023. The loss of Tiffany is not only a personal loss but also triggers concerning transportation safety and planning in cities. The recognition of inclusive mobility as a salient right for everyone should help avert future disasters and provide communities where people can move freely and safely (Morales, 2023).