The proposed course, ‘Right to the City’ and socio-spatial justice in the Urban, is designed as a standalone elective course that complements and the deepens the interdisciplinary engagement with law, governance and urban studies. While it stands independently, the course can draw upon the conceptual and thematic engagements in other elective courses such as Urban Law in Context, Urban Governance and Policy, and Space and Society: Reading Henri Lefebvre’s The Production of Space. These courses introduce students to urban governance frameworks, the regulation of urban space, and the theoretical understandings of space as socially produced. The proposed course focuses on the lived experiences of socio-spatial dimensions of justice in urban spaces and how claims to the city are shaped by social and political struggles, with particular attention to how these dynamics manifest in Indian cities.

This course foregrounds the contested nature of urban spaces and the struggles for socio- spatial justice, critically engaging with concepts such as the ‘Right to the City’, spatial justice and urban belonging. It also explores the role of State by looking at how socio- spatial justice is constructed, mediated and often contested through the actions, omissions, and regulations of State institutions. By bridging theoretical frameworks with empirical realities, the course offers students tools to understand how spatial inequalities are produced, challenged and potentially transformed. It will enable students to engage with political and social aspects of urban life, fostering an applied understanding of justice that encompasses but extends beyond formal legal structures.