1. Currently, in almost every city in the world, the property rights of owners outweigh the use rights of inhabitants, and the exchange value of property determines how it is used much more so than its use value. (page 2)

I feel that within this quote, Purcell was capturing reality more than facts itself. When I look around at how some people “own” homes while others “rent” homes and apartments, they are more than responsible for paying the bills that come with the property because the owner of the property isn’t accepting anything less than cash or a check, whatever it may be that these residents pay with to keep a roof over their heads. With the second part of the quote, how much you can sell property or space for and how that person uses it is much more than what the property can mean to you. This is logical because not many people will began to buy a piece of property and ask the people who are selling it to them, “What was this worth to you, what did it mean to you?” , Why ? because it’s not as important as selling it and having the property be used for a great cost.

2. He says that modern citizenship takes the form of a contract between the state and the citizenry that specifies, among other things, the rights of citizens. (Page 6)

Purcell is acknowledging the fact that the citizens of the modern society are in unit with this “distinguished” state and these particular set of rights among citizens. They are to abide by these rules like a real contract. With a negative intended contract (a con contract), there comes consequences that are more than likely unfair. That is what i’m getting from Purcell’s statement about modern citizenship. If these rules are broken by any citizen, they will face consequences but yet, rights are supposed to allow you to things that you are comfortable with, not what the system just happens to present to the world. The article seems to focus on space, which my next quote follows up on.

3. So Lefebvre sees the right to the city as a struggle to “de-alienate” urban space, to reintegrate it into the web of social connections. He talks about this de-alienation in terms of appropriation. His idea of the right to the city involves inhabitants appropriating space in the city. To appropriate something is to take it to oneself, to make it one’s own

Within this quote, Purcell states out how Lefebvre doesn’t agree with the official rights of a community because a right shouldn’t be a forced thing from one person or one group of people, and every one else (the citizens) just follow up. Lefebvre feels that an individual should be able to assimilate these rights to the city and consult themselves without an owners permission and create this new space, which is now comfortable for them, not just a space that wants certain residents and expect certain actions etc. I feel this is only fair because in society today, we live in these spaces with lack of rights to the space we live in, it’s either you accept this space or have nothing, which isn’t fair in any way, shape, or form.