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- Convenors:
-
Philipp Horn
(University of Sheffield)
Diana Mitlin (University of Manchester)
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- Location:
- L29 (Richmond building)
- Start time:
- 8 September, 2017 at
Time zone: Europe/London
- Session slots:
- 2
Short Abstract:
This panel aims to critically explore approaches on scaling up the effective modalities of participatory and co-productive neighbourhood planning to the city level, and in so doing seeks to strengthen the critical mass of people-centred approaches supporting inclusive and sustainable urban development.
Long Abstract:
In cities of the global South, disadvantaged residents address their own needs but such efforts are fragmented, partial and inevitably local in scale. Local governments seek to improve this situation but are under-capacitated and lack adequate resources. Academic institutions seek to identify new solutions and legitimate approaches but equally lack resources and links with disadvantaged citizens. Only if all three groups collaborate can we address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commitments to ‘leave no one behind’ and achieve the implementation of SDG 6 (water and sanitation) and SDG 11 (inclusive, safe and resilient cities). It is widely acknowledged that multi-disciplinary approaches that build on local action and create strong partnerships can maximize the efficiency with which existing funds are spent and develop new strategies to advance scholarly understanding and grounded initiatives with the potential to scale-up. While innovative activities and multi-sector partnerships have been established at the neighbourhood level, insufficient attention has been given to such practices at city-scale. This panel, therefore, aims to critically explore approaches on scaling up the effective modalities of participatory and co-productive neighbourhood planning to the city level, and in so doing seeks to strengthen the critical mass of people-centred approaches supporting inclusive and sustainable urban development.
The DSA 2017 conference offers an ideal opportunity to examine the opportunities and challenges of inclusive and sustainable urban development practices at different scales and in distinct contexts. We welcome papers focusing on different cities in the global South and coming from diverse disciplinary, theoretical and methodological perspectives.
Accepted papers:
Session 1Robin Hambleton (University of the West of England)
Paper short abstract:
In a recent book, 'Leading the Inclusive City', the author examines examples of inspirational civic leadership in 17 cities in 14 different countries. This paper presents a conceptual framework for understanding inclusive place-based governance and provides examples to illustrate the power of place
Paper long abstract:
This paper discusses the challenge of place-less power in modern societies, and considers the nature of the major struggle that is now taking place between place-less and place-based power. By drawing on arguments that are set out at greater length in the author's recent book, 'Leading the Inclusive City', the paper outlines concepts that maybe able to help us better understand the power of place and, more specifically, the emerging possibilities for progressive place-based leadership in particular geo-political settings. The paper is divided into four parts. An opening section discusses the constraints on place-based power and the potential for expanding local power. A second offers a way of understanding inclusive place-based leadership. Described as 'The New Civic Leadership', the model posits the existence of five overlapping realms of leadership in any given locality. The possibilities for progressive advance lie in the areas of overlap - areas described as 'Innovation Zones' - between the different realms. The third section presents cameos of inspirational civic leadership drawn from the global south as well as the global north to illuminate the argument. A final section identifies emerging themes for future work in development studies. In particular the paper will make a plea for scholars to give far more attention to the role of place-based leadership in bringing about progressive change.
Reference
Hambleton R. (2015) 'Leading the Inclusive City. Place-based innovation for a bounded planet'. Bristol: Policy Press
Thomas Stubbs (University of Cambridge)
Paper short abstract:
Kigali is a beacon of stability amidst the dysfunctional urbanism characterizing sub-Saharan Africa. Based on findings from informant interviews, this study finds that the institutionalization of traditional participatory practices underpins the city's successful approach to urban service delivery.
Paper long abstract:
Kigali stands as a beacon of stability amidst the dysfunctional urbanism characterizing much of sub-Saharan Africa—and in 2008 was awarded UN-Habitat's Scroll of Honour for "innovations in building a model, modern city". Its reputation as the region's safest, cleanest, and most organized city belies a history marred by some of the most extreme urban challenges faced in recent times, including post-genocide reconciliation and a population that has more than trebled since 1999. Based on findings from 30 semi-structured informant interviews, this study elucidates the factors underpinning the city's approach to urban service delivery. It identifies five interlocking developments in urban governance that have been instrumental to the city's successes: first, the Rwandan state's commitment to anti-corruption and transparency measures; second, devolution of urban management responsibilities to district, sector, cell, and village levels; third, institutionalization of traditional practices of community self-help, namely imihigo (performance contracts), ubudehe (mutual support), and, umuganda (community labour); fourth, adoption of modern principles of urban planning, including a city-wide conceptual master plan and detailed district plans; and fifth, a nationwide program of land regularization that did not discriminate between planned and unplanned settlements. The study then reflects on the broader implications of the Kigali case for participatory planning within other emerging cities of the Global South.
Philipp Horn (University of Sheffield) Diana Mitlin (University of Manchester)
Paper short abstract:
This paper discusses efforts to scale-up participatory planning from the community to the city-level. We argue that, for more equitable urban development to occur, it is vital to rethink the planning process with more careful acknowledgement towards present city-specific challenges and obstacles.
Paper long abstract:
This paper considers the potential of scaling-up participatory planning from the community to the city-level. We recognise the shortcomings of many participatory processes to date, including the concentration on local-level 'invited spaces' (Cornwall 2002) which prevent citizen involvement in citywide decision making processes. Also lacking are accountabilities back to constituents to enable more mobilized political positions to emerge. We show how, faced by lack of progress towards informal settlement upgrading, community networks affiliated with Slum/Shack Dwellers International in Bulawayo, Johannesburg, and Nairobi engaged with local authorities to deepen and scale their community-led development practices. Our comparative analysis reveals that efforts to scale participatory planning and related implementation face city-specific challenges. Structural challenges relate to the distribution of income and assets, and social differentiation based on distinctions such as ethnicity and gender, are manifest through intra-community tensions and relations with authorities. The three contexts also illustrate what is required. In Nairobi, local government recognises the need to redesign planning practices and allows for planning regulations to be suspended in areas of particular need. However, experimentation in such areas has not resulted in scalable models. In Bulawayo, the local government funding crisis has enabled community renegotiation of planning rules but scalable models are slow to emerge. In Johannesburg, state finance is available for upgrading but opportunities for community-led development are restricted. We argue that, for more equitable urban development to occur, it is necessary to rethink the planning process with a more careful acknowledgement of present city-specific challenges and obstacles.
Glyn Williams (University of Sheffield) Berit Aasen (Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet)) Umesh Omanakuttan (Centre for Development Studies)
Paper short abstract:
This paper uses primary data from two housing projects in Trivandrum, Kerala to explore the difficulties of realising in practice the participatory goals of India's national slum-upgrade policy. It recommends smarter institutional design to strengthen beneficiary voice within housing delivery.
Paper long abstract:
India's recent national urban development policy has aimed to produce 'slum free cities', with significant investment in housing upgrading programmes (BSUP, and RAY) being deliberately linked to a wider urban reform agenda. Although this agenda included neoliberal elements, there was also a growing commitment to addressing the broader needs of slum populations and doing so through participatory design and implementation that increased beneficiaries' 'ownership' of projects. Kerala should be a state in which this participatory and co-productive potential within housing delivery was used to the full: its decisions to manage slum upgrade programmes through its State Poverty Eradication Mission, and well-established processes of participatory governance should have enabled it to take advantage of this aspect of national policy. Using primary data from two housing projects that were intended to demonstrate increasing levels of female-centred community participation in planning and delivery, this paper contrasts the planned physical and governance changes intended by those shaping the scheme at a city level, with beneficiaries' aspirations for and lived experiences of these projects. It highlights the ongoing difficulties in using housing projects to deliver participatory urban change, and the potential for smarter institutional design to ameliorate these.
Gina Porter (Durham University) Karen Lucas (Unversity of Manchester) Albert Machistey Abane (University of Cape Coast) Samuel Asiedu Owusu (University of Cape Coast) Regina Obilie Amoako-Sakyi (University of Cape Coast) Jeff Turner (Leeds University)
Paper short abstract:
This paper draws on mobilities research conducted through co-investigation with young people in Cape Coast, Ghana, and a subsequent GCRF-funded workshop. We explore the potential for scaling up our approach to support more inclusive urban transport planning across the city and beyond.
Paper long abstract:
This paper draws on mixed methods mobilities research conducted with children and young people in Cape Coast, Ghana, and a subsequent, complementary GCRF-funded workshop held there. The mobilities research, conducted in two sites of relative deprivation (one urban, one peri-urban), was embedded in a co-investigation methodology involving school children aged c. 11-19 years. The subsequent workshop, which included representation from the city planners, other relevant Ghanaian urban development and transport agencies and academics in the international GCRF network, was convened to promote more inclusive city transport planning, drawing on the evidence from our participatory research with young people. We present our experiences with particular reference to the workshop and discuss future potential a) for scaling up the initial co-investigation approach we adopted at neighbourhood level to support more inclusive urban transport planning in Cape Coast and b) the potential for adopting this approach in our other GCRF network cities.