ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.10.022
The Invisible War: Manufactured Illegality Versus the Right to Presence in the City
Yiling Shen
Kunming No.1 International High School, Kunming 650031, Yunnan, China.
*Corresponding author: Yiling Shen
Published: November 11,2025
Abstract
Urban planning globally has long operated on a binary that equates “formal” with legal and “informal” with problematic, giving rise to what scholars term “manufactured illegality.” This paper examines how this systemic exclusion renders informal residents—including migrant workers, undocumented populations, and low-income communities—invisible, depriving them not only of material resources but also of civic belonging. Drawing on case studies from Mumbai’s Dharavi, urban villages, Nairobi’s Kibera, and Rio’s favelas, it argues that forced displacement and the criminalization of informal livelihoods constitute an “invisible war” against vulnerable groups. The paper further explores the global rip-ple effects of this exclusion, from disrupted supply chains to heightened social instability, and proposes actionable strategies for building inclusive, resilient cities that prioritize the right to presence for all residents. The city needs to create a safe, inclusive, and sustainable environment that enables every resident to have a suitable living space and be protected. The so-called illegality is not a justification for exerting violent force against the development of residents.
Keywords
Manufactured Illegality; Right to the City; Informal Urban Settlements
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How to cite this paper
The Invisible War: Manufactured Illegality Versus the Right to Presence in the City
How to cite this paper: Yiling Shen. (2025) The Invisible War: Manufactured Illegality Versus the Right to Presence in the City. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, 9(10), 1966-1970.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.10.022