Contentious Movement for the Right to the City by the Four Region Slums Network
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This article presents the objectives, tactics, and movements of the Four Regions Slums Network for the long-term land rental contract from the State Railway of Thailand’s land (SRT). The movement has initiated since 1998 until the present [2021]. The researcher conducted the research by formally interviewing informants, who are community and the Four Regions Slum Network leaders, and Non-governmental Organizations’ staffs. The two concepts of the right to the city and the social movement were applied to investigate. The outcome showed that the aim of the movement, the claim for the right to rent the State Railway of Thailand’s land in the city, is according with the right to the city theory. This notion challenges mainstream urban development, which excludes the urban poor from the urban space. The main tactic of the movement was to mobilize its member to create a negotiation platform of power. The movement had succeeded both at the policy and community levels. As in the case study at Shong Lom–Lang Shang Community, instead of being removed from the city, the community was successfully obtained the 30-year land rental contract by the SRT. The movement reflected contentious politics, because it was driven by marginalized people who are frustrated by social inequality.
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