Right-to-place and disability justice: Giving visibility to the often-unseen but integral lived elements in making communities inclusive for all bodyminds

Lisa Stafford and Matt Novacevski

Environment and Planning C, 2026, vol. 44, issue 1, 26-44

Abstract: Being in place is a political statement of rights, citizenship, and spatial justice. In this article, we argue the existential-political connection between place and disability justice is critical to progressing the inclusive communities and cities agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 11 – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. This is illustrated through our place-based participatory research with 97 people (9-92 years of age) of which over 50% identified as disabled people [1] from two Australian regions – Clarence and greater Hobart Tasmania and Gympie Region Queensland. The lived experiences shared illuminate that while place is essential in making communities inclusive, being-in-place is crucially contingent upon planned and built environments enabling diverse bodyminds to exercise their spatial agency , experience connectedness and dwelling in place. These lived elements are prerequisites to creating more inclusive communities and regions, while integral to the realisation of disability justice spatially and socially.

Keywords: Disability; inclusive communities; just cities; right to place; spatial justice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envirc:v:44:y:2026:i:1:p:26-44

DOI: 10.1177/23996544251349637

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