Constructed and contested legitimacy in urban governance - Organized Session at 54th ISOCARP Congress
Developing a sustainable city with reduced climate gas emissions, energy consumption and pollution and re-use of waste often requires measures reaching far into the way citizens live and organize their lives. This includes how and where the citizens live, how they move around in the city and what they do in their spare time. Thetransformations needed to enable more sustainable cities pose a key challenge for urban governance: How to take necessary measures toward the “green city” in a way that is legitimate in the view of the citizens affected by the policies? In this perspective, legitimacy mightbe defined as the extent to which urban policies and measures are acceptable to citizens.The concept of legitimacy furthermore applies to both processes (for instance through participation, transparency and accountability in decision-making) and outcomes (for instance through the effectiveness and sustainability of policies) of urban governance. As a greener city necessarily involves a greener lifestyle, the success ofpolicies to a large extent depends on its citizens commitment and willingness to comply with policies. Another important question revolves around how the legitimacy of necessary environmental policies are constructed within the political and bureaucratic spheres, where multiple issues compete for attention and resources. In practice, the legitimacy of urban governance is mobilized, constructed and contested in planning and development processes.Understanding how different stakeholders, planners and decision makers make and assess different legitimacy claims in governance processes of the “green city,” can contribute to understand transformation processes toward a more sustainable urban future.This session invites academics and practitioners to contribute with insight on the concept of legitimacy and sustainable urban planning.
Til publikasjon: https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3258442 | Publiseringsår: 2018 | Tidsskrift: