Vol. Vol. Vol. Vol. 2 No. 1 2 No. 1 2 No. 1 2 No. 1 Lifestyle Migration II Lifestyle Migration II Lifestyle Migration II Lifestyle Migration II September 2011 September 2011 September 2011 September 2011 The Right to the City as a conceptual framework to study the impact of North The Right to the City as a conceptual framework to study the impact of North The Right to the City as a conceptual framework to study the impact of North The Right to the City as a conceptual framework to study the impact of North-South Migration South Migration South Migration South Migration Iranzu Gárriz Fernández Iranzu Gárriz Fernández Iranzu Gárriz Fernández Iranzu Gárriz Fernández 1 PhD Candidate in Development Studies Universidad Autnoma de Zacatecas, Mexico Abstract Abstract Abstract Abstract In this article, I explore the phenomenon of North-South migration from the point of view of receiving countries and the impacts of this kind of migration in city centers. I use Lefebvre’s concept of right to the city as the framework to understand the transformations of city centers, yet I argue that it does not adequately address all forms of unequal power, such as those based on inhabitants’ distinct nationalities. In the context of North-South migration, unequal power based on certain nationalities represents a fundamental characteristic of the social practices and of the process of production of urban space, and puts the foreign resident population in a privileged position to exercise the right to the city over (or vis--vis) local residents. More generally I pose the question: who has the right to the city? To begin to answer this question, I include results from a case study in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, which is a tourist destination, a designated UNESCO World Heritage city, and has a history of foreign settlement. Keys Words Keys Words Keys Words Keys Words: Lifestyle Migration, Production of space, San Miguel de Allende 1 PhD Candidate in Development Studies at Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Mexico. Fellowship from the Mexican Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT). Research fellow from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MAEC) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).