A new role for citizens' initiatives: the difficulties in co-creating institutional change in urban planning. Issue 1 (2nd January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bisschops, Saskia; Beunen, Raoul
• Is Part Of: Journal of environmental planning and management. Volume 62:Issue 1(2019)
• Page Start: 72
• Page End: 87
• Publication Date: 2019-01-02
• Subjects: citizens' initiatives -- co-creation -- institutional work -- institutional change -- urban planning; City planning -- Periodicals; City planning -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Regional planning -- Periodicals; Regional planning -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 333.7
• DOI: 10.1080/09640568.2018.1436532
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0964-0568

Abstract

Abstract : In this paper, we analyze the institutional work that underlies the attempt to institutionalize a more active role of citizens in urban planning. We draw on a case in which a group of citizens aims to redevelop a brownfield site into a vital urban area. This citizens' initiative is co-creating a new form of urban planning with the municipality, private organizations and individual citizens. The study shows how citizens' initiatives can be a driver for institutional change, but that uncertainties about new institutions tend to reinforce the maintenance of existing ones. This paradox explains why even if the ambition for a new form of planning is widely shared, actually realizing institutional change can still be difficult and time-consuming.