Breaking the Helm of Capital-Centered Local Development: Thinking of Local Government in the Context of the Right to the City

This study examines the effects of the capitalist system on urbanization period and evaluates the potential of socialist municipalism as an alternative to the inequalities arising from this process, framed within Henri Lefebvre’s concept of the “right to the city.” Capitalist urbanization has led to the commodification of urban spaces, the neglect of public benefits, and the deepening of spatial inequalities. These inequalities include income disparity, urban poverty, the climate crisis, capital-centered spatial arrangements, the escalation of violence and insecurity, and the degradation of urban aesthetics and fabric, among others. Collectively, these issues indicate a global urbanization crisis. These intertwined issues, which can be described as an urbanization crisis, can find resonance among communities through the practices of socialist municipalism by offering alternative solutions. Recent examples of socialist municipalism, both in Turkey and globally, have demonstrated successful labor-centered governance at the local level and democratic practices spreading from the local to the national scale. Considering the current political and economic crises in Turkey, the role of local governments has become increasingly significant. Local governments have at times developed more effective policies than the central government, especially in combating urban poverty. The governance practices of local governments are discussed within the framework of socialist municipalism. The study relies on the literature review method, examining academic research and reports and utilizing observational techniques.