Contested urban sites around the world

In the district of Haren, in northern Brussels, opponents of a planned mega-prison have occupied the proposed site since August 2014. Communal gardens have since sprouted on the grassy 18-hectare (45-acre) site, along with tents and makeshift huts. Residents (and the occasional chicken) have withstood several confrontations with police. The final decision is expected at the end of 2015.

Once known as the world's tallest squat, the "Tower of David" in Caracas was home to a self-made community for nearly a decade before residents were evacuated in 2014. The 45-story building, originally planned by banker David Brillembourg, was abandoned after the banking crisis in the mid-1990s brought a halt to construction. At its peak, the tower was home to an estimated 3,000 people.

Tempelhof Airport, the hub for the Berlin airlift during the Cold War, closed down in 2008. Since then, it has been reopened as a public park and residents have claimed the space as their own. In May 2014, Berliners voted to preserve the green space, roughly the size of New York's Central Park. Possible plans for the future include sports facilities, an open-air cinema or a kite surfing school.

Thousands came out to protest the planned reconstruction of Stuttgart's main train station in 2010. Plans to reorient and bury the tracks to accommodate new high-speed rail lines meant that around 180 trees in the nearby Schlossgarten were to be cut down. Despite protests against rising costs and the ecological impact, nearly 60 percent voted in favor of the project in a 2011 referendum.

Urban conflicts are common in China's rapidly developing cities, with some 1.5 million people reportedly being displaced as Beijing prepared to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, according to Reuters. Organizers said the figure was vastly inflated. Development still runs into roadblocks today, with some people refusing to accept compensation and move out. But planners don't usually let that stop them.

Rio de Janeiro, the next host of the Summer Olympics in 2016, has seen similar conflicts with its construction plans. Much of the Vila Autodromo favela community is being displaced to prepare the way for the Olympic Park, including the golf course, seen here. Most of the original 700 residents have moved on after receiving compensation, but a few remain, despite random power and water outages.

Even Greenwich Village, a trendy New York neighborhood drawing tourists from all over the world, was once threatened. In the 1950s and 1960s, city planner Robert Moses wanted to raze multiple blocks in the district, along with parts of neighboring SoHo and Little Italy, to bring in an elevated 10-lane expressway. Activists, led by author and journalist Jane Jacobs, killed his dream.