College 1 - 3 september
What are urban problems?
- Two schools of thought:
- Outcomes of characteristics of specific places: this, urban policy remedied
local deficiencies
- What are defined as problems are actually symptoms, not causes of urban
problems
- Urban policy may need to function at various scales
What is urban policy?
- A fuzzy notion
- Characterised by deliberative or purpose intervention by agents in different aspects
of the functioning of cities (Edwards & Imrie, p. 43)
- Responds to social, economic, ecological and political problems in situ
- May have potentially large consequences
Urban policy, defined:
- It is about the welfare of local residents in urban society, influencing geographic
distribution of social / economic activities
- Any policy relevant for cities (Glaeser; Thomas)
- Something that is hard to pin down (Cochrane)
- An exercise of policing powers of the state; not value neutral (Dikec)
- A state activity that affects the use of space and the built environment (Fainstein &
Fainstein)
- It is just about urban places (Imbroscio)
A moral object & politics
- Urban policy as a moral imperative
- What role for the state is envisaged?
,Urban politics
- Urban policy linked to urban politics:
- The contestation between different social groups about the meaning and
materiality of urban life; policy is a political object of government
- Pluralist theories:
- Policy is an outcome of competing interest groups
- While people know their interests, they are able to effectively pursue these
interests (Dahl)
- Critique:
- Not all opinions are included, issues of power
Urban policy & power
- Role of power in urban policy and politics;
- Urban policy is part of a contested political process favouring some groups
over others
- Neo-Marxism;
- Urban policy part of state activity creating conditions conducive to capital
investment / accumulation
- Collective consumption;
- Urban policy as a response to welfare needs of citizens
The urban growth machines & reigns
- Urban growth machine:
- Urban political processes revolve around economic development, especially
around property development
- Logan / Molotch;
- Policy is part of the exercise of elite power around economic growth
objectives; a growth coalition of developers & politicians tries to secure
growth
, - Urban regime theory (stone)
- Power is fragmented, regimes arise between local governments &
private actors enabling policy implementation
Place-based or people based
- Many examples of urban policy that are place-based
- Intervenes in problems with a specific place
- Assumes that local problems result from the social & economic problems of that
place
- People-based
- Focus on social exclusion, through individuals, vulnerable groups and
deprived neighbourhoods
Policy coordination
- An enduring theme of urban policy
- Not one single government agency is responsible for the problems of cities
- Urban policy is not a discrete area, making it difficult to decipher
- Given our urban society, boundaries between urban and other policies is blurred
The city & disorder
- The unruly city hypothesis; fragmented communities, strangers, etc.
- Where urban policy fits - what is its place in ´solving´ these issues?
Urban policy & disorder
- Management of social disorder: managing spaces and people in the city considered
problematic (ex. Idea of an underclass)
- Critique: the police state nature of such policies (ie. Dikec): is the focus on social
welfare, or policing?
- Public realm policies: premised on enabling safe spaces for consumption
, - Yet, erosion of the public realm through privatisation, creation of exclusive enclaves
etc.
- Who has the right to be in these spaces?
The right to the city
- How to create socially just & democratic cities (Lefebvre) rather than based on
market interests
- Right to the city… the ´demand (for) a transformed and renewed access to urban life
(lefebvre)
- Access to urban space, a right to participate in decisions concerning urban
space
What are urban problems?
- Two schools of thought:
- Outcomes of characteristics of specific places: this, urban policy remedied
local deficiencies
- What are defined as problems are actually symptoms, not causes of urban
problems
- Urban policy may need to function at various scales
What is urban policy?
- A fuzzy notion
- Characterised by deliberative or purpose intervention by agents in different aspects
of the functioning of cities (Edwards & Imrie, p. 43)
- Responds to social, economic, ecological and political problems in situ
- May have potentially large consequences
Urban policy, defined:
- It is about the welfare of local residents in urban society, influencing geographic
distribution of social / economic activities
- Any policy relevant for cities (Glaeser; Thomas)
- Something that is hard to pin down (Cochrane)
- An exercise of policing powers of the state; not value neutral (Dikec)
- A state activity that affects the use of space and the built environment (Fainstein &
Fainstein)
- It is just about urban places (Imbroscio)
A moral object & politics
- Urban policy as a moral imperative
- What role for the state is envisaged?
,Urban politics
- Urban policy linked to urban politics:
- The contestation between different social groups about the meaning and
materiality of urban life; policy is a political object of government
- Pluralist theories:
- Policy is an outcome of competing interest groups
- While people know their interests, they are able to effectively pursue these
interests (Dahl)
- Critique:
- Not all opinions are included, issues of power
Urban policy & power
- Role of power in urban policy and politics;
- Urban policy is part of a contested political process favouring some groups
over others
- Neo-Marxism;
- Urban policy part of state activity creating conditions conducive to capital
investment / accumulation
- Collective consumption;
- Urban policy as a response to welfare needs of citizens
The urban growth machines & reigns
- Urban growth machine:
- Urban political processes revolve around economic development, especially
around property development
- Logan / Molotch;
- Policy is part of the exercise of elite power around economic growth
objectives; a growth coalition of developers & politicians tries to secure
growth
, - Urban regime theory (stone)
- Power is fragmented, regimes arise between local governments &
private actors enabling policy implementation
Place-based or people based
- Many examples of urban policy that are place-based
- Intervenes in problems with a specific place
- Assumes that local problems result from the social & economic problems of that
place
- People-based
- Focus on social exclusion, through individuals, vulnerable groups and
deprived neighbourhoods
Policy coordination
- An enduring theme of urban policy
- Not one single government agency is responsible for the problems of cities
- Urban policy is not a discrete area, making it difficult to decipher
- Given our urban society, boundaries between urban and other policies is blurred
The city & disorder
- The unruly city hypothesis; fragmented communities, strangers, etc.
- Where urban policy fits - what is its place in ´solving´ these issues?
Urban policy & disorder
- Management of social disorder: managing spaces and people in the city considered
problematic (ex. Idea of an underclass)
- Critique: the police state nature of such policies (ie. Dikec): is the focus on social
welfare, or policing?
- Public realm policies: premised on enabling safe spaces for consumption
, - Yet, erosion of the public realm through privatisation, creation of exclusive enclaves
etc.
- Who has the right to be in these spaces?
The right to the city
- How to create socially just & democratic cities (Lefebvre) rather than based on
market interests
- Right to the city… the ´demand (for) a transformed and renewed access to urban life
(lefebvre)
- Access to urban space, a right to participate in decisions concerning urban
space
