Reconceptualizing spatial capital to unlock spatial justice: the A.U.R.A. framework
Abstract
A fundamental challenge in urban scholarship is bridging theories of spatial justice with material reality. This paper critiques static concepts of ‘spatial capital’ for obscuring the dynamic social production of spatial advantage. We reconceptualize spatial capital as a dynamic capacity and introduce the A.U.R.A. framework – a heuristic enacted through the practices of Access, Utilise, Resist, and Adapt. Synthesizing insights from Bourdieu, Lefebvre, and intersectionality, A.U.R.A. offers a rigorous methodology for diagnosing injustice and a foundation for transforming the conditions that reproduce spatial inequality in cities.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Urban Planning and Governance
Urban
Neighborhood
and Segregation Studies
Environmental Justice and Health Disparities
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Planning Practice and Research
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Pages
- 1–25
- Publication date
- 11 February 2026
- Language
- EN