Area-based initiatives and urban democracy
Peer reviewed, Journal article
Published version
Date
2023Metadata
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Original version
Cities: The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning. 2023, 144 (Jan 2024), . 10.1016/j.cities.2023.104638Abstract
Area-based initiatives (ABIs) set out to improve livability and living conditions in disadvantaged urban neigh-
borhoods by making use of extensive citizen participation. ABIs are often criticized for constituting a form of
undemocratic tokenism; this creates the illusion that residents have a say over urban development because
citizens are only given consultative power. This paper takes a different perspective. We follow the ‘systemic turn’
in democratic theory, which addresses how direct citizen participation can reduce problems of inclusion,
communication, and collective action created by defects in representative democracy. We find evidence that our
case, the Grønland-Tøyen ABI in Oslo, Norway, at its best, is able to include new, previously marginalized groups
in formulating a collective will that eventually impact city government policy. We argue that these cases show
the potential of ABIs to enhance government effectiveness, as the participatory process creates preferable so-
lutions to those produced by city experts. We also argue that it is the narrow scope of the participation schemes,
rather than the lack of power devolved to citizens, that limits the ABIs contribution to urban democracy. This
hinders the ABI's ability to address social justice and puts the legitimacy of the participatory arrangements at risk.