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In March 1968 Henri Lefebvre published The Right to the City. Lefebvre was the first and one of the few who dared herald the end of the industrial town, with the development of its outskirts and suburbs, and the advent of the Urban. Lefebvre saw in the creation of this urban society new hope for the development of more favourable conditions for humanity. This paper examines the unique modernity of Lefebvre’s ideas, and the implications of his work. It demonstrates how widely his theories and arguments have been used by a variety of social and political actors, both at national and international level, from urbanists, to politicians and urban sociologists. Their work has justified the greater part of Lefebvre’s intuitions and fears, furthermore confirming that the theories he exposes in The Right to the City have been instrumental in the appropriation of the city by its inhabitants. Their work has opened new avenues for the exploration of the urban phenomenon, one of the most important issues of our day.