- Researcher working with communicative/collaborative planning theory and practice. My research focuses on investigatin... moreResearcher working with communicative/collaborative planning theory and practice. My research focuses on investigating institutional and agency interactions facilitating and hindering the implementation of communicative and deliberative ideals in diverse contexts. Other interests include environmental conflicts, power in decision-making and comparisons between global North and global South participatory ideals and practices.
Empirically my focus has been on studying participatory and deliberative processes with regard to different spatial, social and environmental problems including urban renewal, public space development, sustainable lifestyles, ecosystem services, community development. This has been done in different countries including Colombia, Spain, Sweden, England and the Netherlands.
I am currently involved in two research projects:
A Balancing Act between Swift and Slow Planning, investigating how practitioners balance, on the one hand, the need for efficiency in decision-making, and the other hand, calls for more democratic/participatory processes that are time-consuming. Focus in on urgent sustainability challenges such as climate change impacts, shortage of affordable homes or influx of immigrants.
Dialogues in governance for sustainability, focusing on the design of power-sensitive and conflict-aware deliberative processes.
twitter: @urbandifferenceedit
Pressing sustainability challenges and increased influence of neoliberal ideas in planning have resulted in strong demands to 'speed up', and increase efficiency in, planning processes. Meanwhile, the reported risks that such emphasis on... more
Pressing sustainability challenges and increased influence of neoliberal ideas in planning have resulted in strong demands to 'speed up', and increase efficiency in, planning processes. Meanwhile, the reported risks that such emphasis on speed have for participatory decision-making and continuous calls for increased deliberation in planning, following the ideas of communicative planning theory, suggest that planning processes ought to 'slow down'. These dual pressures for swift and slow planning have been discussed within Nordic planning studies as an 'either-or' tension by which decision-making processes are either swift yet exclusive and technical-based and/or marketdriven or participatory and deliberative but time-consuming. This paper provides insights into how deliberative planners navigate the double pressure for swift and slow planning in the design of participatory planning processes. It is based on a case study in Uppsala, Sweden where demands for swift decision-making and for participation following deliberative ideals were noticeable. The case study shows planners striving in different ways to balance the contradicting demands for swift and slow planning through their process design choices. These findings provide inspiration to reimagine the deliberative turn in planning as a 'balancing act' between equally important demands for participation and deliberation, and for faster and more efficient planning.
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Communicative Planning Theory (CPT) has been heavily criticized for neglecting context and for not paying sufficient attention to how it influences collaborative planning. While some CPT scholars have attempted to address this critique,... more
Communicative Planning Theory (CPT) has been heavily criticized for neglecting context and for not paying sufficient attention to how it influences collaborative planning. While some CPT scholars have attempted to address this critique, there are still limited insights into how context hinders or facilitates the realization of collaborative qualities in planning. The paper contributes to attempts to make CPT more attuned to context by focusing on how context influences specific collaborative processes. It develops an approach that sees collaborative processes as embedded in and shaped by the immediate interplay between institutions and agency. The approach is demonstrated in the analysis of two collaborative planning processes in Ahmedabad, India and Bloemfontein, South Africa. The paper argues for the need to look at the interplay between institutional and agential factors when analysing context. It also highlights the important role that agency plays in mediating the influence of context in specific planning processes.
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This paper aims to advance the development of participation in urban design from a substantive standpoint. It departs from a prevailing focus on ideals of participation and describing participatory methods and processes. Instead, the... more
This paper aims to advance the development of participation in urban design from a substantive standpoint. It departs from a prevailing focus on ideals of participation and describing participatory methods and processes. Instead, the paper stresses the need to acknowledge ‘the political’ nature of public spaces and how this challenges participatory urban design processes. This leads to a substantive exploration of differences, conflicts and power in the planning and design of public spaces, i.e., unearthing the political. The case of a participatory process in a neighbourhgood of Barcelona illustrates the theoretical discussion. This helps bring forward a much-needed critical and reflective, rather than idealistic, theorization and practice of participation in urban design.
Research Interests: Participatory Design, Conflict, Privatisation Of Public Space, Collaborative Design, Urban Design (Urban Studies), and 13 morePublic Space, Participatory Planning, Urban Design, Urban Public Open Space, Urban design and planning, Public spaces, Collaborative Planning, Participatory Decision Making, Local Governance & Participatory Planning, Urban Planning and Design, Communicative and collaborative planning, Architecture and Public Spaces, and Communicative Planning Practice
In this paper, we engage with the topic of public participation in landscape planning. Academic discussions and policy rhetoric tend to build on a conceptualisation of landscape as a democratic entity, yet practices of participatory... more
In this paper, we engage with the topic of public participation in landscape planning. Academic discussions and policy rhetoric tend to build on a conceptualisation of landscape as a democratic entity, yet practices of participatory landscape planning often fall short of these ideals. Most scholars approach this rhetoric-practice gap from procedural and norma-tive positions, defining what makes a successful participatory process. We take an alternative approach, scrutinising the role of landscape planning theory in participatory shortcomings, and reveal how poor substantive theorisation of 'the political' nature of landscapes contributes to the difficulties in realising participatory ideals. We engage theoretically with the political dimension, conceptualising and explaining the implications that differences, conflicts and power relations have for participation in landscape planning, that is, politicising the landscape. This theoretical engagement helps bring about a much-needed realignment of substantive theory, procedural theory and practice for developing participation in landscape planning.
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Within urban design there is increasing interest in the close relationship between social, economic and political processes and the production of public spaces. This relationship, however, often remains abstract and is rarely illustrated... more
Within urban design there is increasing interest in the close relationship between social, economic and political processes and the production of public spaces. This relationship, however, often remains abstract and is rarely illustrated in empirical studies. This paper introduces an institutionalist understanding to the production of public spaces, whereby emphasis is placed on the analysis of structuring forces and actors as a way to apprehend the complexity of the social processes guiding and influencing the planning, design and management of public spaces. The institutionalist understanding is illustrated in the case study of an urban renewal project in Barcelona. The results of the case study show the contrasts and tensions between the structuring forces and the different actors operating in the project, how structuring forces favoured the interest and claims of some actors over those of others, and the potential risks and challenges that this has for the use and value of the public spaces produced by the project.
Research Interests:
"The involvement of local communities in public space planning and design processes is widely promoted as an essential element of landscape architecture and urban design practice. Despite this, there has been little theorisation of this... more
"The involvement of local communities in public space planning and design processes is widely promoted as an essential element of landscape architecture and urban design practice. Despite this, there has been little theorisation of this topic within these fields. Furthermore, the implementation of ideals and principles commonly found in theory are far from becoming mainstream practice, indicating a significant gap between the theory and practice of participation.
This thesis aims to contribute to the development of theories of participation in the planning and design of public spaces. It steps away from the prevailing normative and procedural approach to theory development, and instead adopts a critical approach grounded on the deep understanding of the challenges of participation in the planning and design of public spaces. Case studies of two urban renewal projects, in Medellin, Colombia, and in Barcelona, Spain, and their participatory processes, are used for building up the theoretical contribution.
The empirical and theoretical findings foreground the contextual and political nature of participatory processes. Contextual, in the sense that the implementation of ideals and principles found in theory is facilitated or hindered by the social, political and economic context in which a participatory process takes place. Political, in the sense that in complex contexts that comprise a wide range of actors, and where contrasting goals and agendas are at stake, the implementation of these theoretical ideals and principles is significantly challenged by politics involving deep differences, conflicts and power relations.
The findings also show that prevailing theories of participation within landscape architecture and urban design do not take into consideration the contextual and political nature of participatory processes. This renders these theories weak in their capacity to respond to the challenges encountered by participatory processes in contemporary public space projects. This is particularly so as the dynamics of increasing pluralisation, muliticultarisation and neoliberalisation of cities create contexts that hinder the implementation of the ideals and principles found in theory, and increase the challenges caused by their political nature. Consequently, this thesis proposes a new theoretical approach to participation in the planning and design of public spaces, that allows context-based distinctions and judgements about the qualities of participatory practices for just decision-making. Difference, conflict and power are central in this approach. This thesis establishes this theoretical departure point and makes a significant contribution towards the development of the proposed theoretical approach. "
This thesis aims to contribute to the development of theories of participation in the planning and design of public spaces. It steps away from the prevailing normative and procedural approach to theory development, and instead adopts a critical approach grounded on the deep understanding of the challenges of participation in the planning and design of public spaces. Case studies of two urban renewal projects, in Medellin, Colombia, and in Barcelona, Spain, and their participatory processes, are used for building up the theoretical contribution.
The empirical and theoretical findings foreground the contextual and political nature of participatory processes. Contextual, in the sense that the implementation of ideals and principles found in theory is facilitated or hindered by the social, political and economic context in which a participatory process takes place. Political, in the sense that in complex contexts that comprise a wide range of actors, and where contrasting goals and agendas are at stake, the implementation of these theoretical ideals and principles is significantly challenged by politics involving deep differences, conflicts and power relations.
The findings also show that prevailing theories of participation within landscape architecture and urban design do not take into consideration the contextual and political nature of participatory processes. This renders these theories weak in their capacity to respond to the challenges encountered by participatory processes in contemporary public space projects. This is particularly so as the dynamics of increasing pluralisation, muliticultarisation and neoliberalisation of cities create contexts that hinder the implementation of the ideals and principles found in theory, and increase the challenges caused by their political nature. Consequently, this thesis proposes a new theoretical approach to participation in the planning and design of public spaces, that allows context-based distinctions and judgements about the qualities of participatory practices for just decision-making. Difference, conflict and power are central in this approach. This thesis establishes this theoretical departure point and makes a significant contribution towards the development of the proposed theoretical approach. "
Research Interests: Architecture, Participatory Design, Landscape Architecture, Collaborative Design, Participatory Democracy, and 9 morePublic Space, Planning, Community Design, Urban Design, Collaborative Planning, Participatory Decision Making, Community participation and engagement, Architecture and Public Spaces, and Public Interest Architecture
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Research Interests:
The Inquiry Based Approach (IBA) has been developed to facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration for sustainable transformation of complex and contested situations. The handbook provides practical advice and hands-on instructions for... more
The Inquiry Based Approach (IBA) has been developed to facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration for sustainable transformation of complex and contested situations. The handbook provides practical advice and hands-on instructions for those interested in facilitating multi-stakeholder collaboration.
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Bicocca University in Milan arranged from 10 till the 23th of April 2007 an Intensive Program for students from nine different countries in Europe. One of the subjects of the program was the restructuring of the Bicocca area, where... more
The Bicocca University in Milan arranged from 10 till the 23th of April 2007 an Intensive Program for
students from nine different countries in Europe. One of the subjects of the program was the restructuring of
the Bicocca area, where the university is now situated. The first week was dedicated to lectures concerning
this project and some other interesting subjects in Milan. The second week was reserved for working at this
project. The aim was to create a final report about the socio-spatial hierarchy in Bicocca. It was very
interesting to work in a group with members from different European countries. We have learned a lot from
each other, especially about the different visions and background of the different students. Language wasn’t
a big barrier and with an intensive group work we were able to make this paper. The only problem was
translating Italian literature and interviewing people on the streets, because we didn’t have any Italian
students in our group who could do that part. With a creative mind we worked our way around this and made
use of another student at Bicocca University.
We would like to thank the Bicocca University for arranging this Intensive Program and tutoring us during the
two weeks.
students from nine different countries in Europe. One of the subjects of the program was the restructuring of
the Bicocca area, where the university is now situated. The first week was dedicated to lectures concerning
this project and some other interesting subjects in Milan. The second week was reserved for working at this
project. The aim was to create a final report about the socio-spatial hierarchy in Bicocca. It was very
interesting to work in a group with members from different European countries. We have learned a lot from
each other, especially about the different visions and background of the different students. Language wasn’t
a big barrier and with an intensive group work we were able to make this paper. The only problem was
translating Italian literature and interviewing people on the streets, because we didn’t have any Italian
students in our group who could do that part. With a creative mind we worked our way around this and made
use of another student at Bicocca University.
We would like to thank the Bicocca University for arranging this Intensive Program and tutoring us during the
two weeks.
Research Interests:
Pressing sustainability challenges and increased influence of neoliberal ideas in planning have resulted in strong demands to ‘speed up’, and increase efficiency in, planning processes. Meanwhile, the reported risks that such emphasis on... more
Pressing sustainability challenges and increased influence of neoliberal ideas in planning have resulted in strong demands to ‘speed up’, and increase efficiency in, planning processes. Meanwhile, the reported risks that such emphasis on speed have for participatory decision-making and continuous calls for increased deliberation in planning, following the ideas of communicative planning theory, suggest that planning processes ought to ‘slow down’. These dual pressures for swift and slow planning have been discussed within Nordic planning studies as an ‘either-or’ tension by which decision-making processes are either swift yet exclusive and technical-based and/or market-driven or participatory and deliberative but time-consuming. This paper provides insights into how deliberative planners navigate the double pressure for swift and slow planning in the design of participatory planning processes. It is based on a case study in Uppsala, Sweden where demands for swift decision-making and for participation following deliberative ideals were noticeable. The case study shows planners striving in different ways to balance the contradicting demands for swift and slow planning through their process design choices. These findings provide inspiration to reimagine the deliberative turn in planning as a ‘balancing act’ between equally important demands for participation and deliberation, and for faster and more efficient planning.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Human Geography, Landscape Architecture, Conflict, Political Science, Landscape Theory, and 9 morePublic Participation In Governance, Environmental Planning, Landscape, Environmental Sciences, Landscape Design, Landscape Planning, Planning Theory, Community participation and engagement, and Landscape Democracy
The Inquiry Based Approach (IBA) has been developed to facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration for sustainable transformation of complex and contested situations. The handbook provides practical advice and hands-on instructions for... more
The Inquiry Based Approach (IBA) has been developed to facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration for sustainable transformation of complex and contested situations. The handbook provides practical advice and hands-on instructions for those interested in facilitating multi-stakeholder collaboration.
Research Interests:
This chapter critically discusses the relationship between bottom- up processes, public space design and social cohesion, and the need for an interweaving dynamic between these. The case study of a self- developed neighbourhood park in an... more
This chapter critically discusses the relationship between bottom- up processes, public space design and social cohesion, and the need for an interweaving dynamic between these. The case study of a self- developed neighbourhood park in an informal settlement of Bogotá, Colombia, is used to demonstrate the role of bottom- up public space design in fostering social cohesion. The aim is to contribute to the debate concerning the relationship between public spaces and social cohesion from a Global South perspective, since discussions around these topics are usually focused on Anglo-American studies framed in the formal, planned city. This is problematic, since in cities such as Dar- es- Salaam, Cairo, Rio de Janeiro or Bogot á many neighbourhoods and public spaces develop informally, from the bottom up, through individual and community efforts, without any government plans or professional designers. Furthermore, these self- developed neighbourhoods, usually identified as informal settlements, are the only way for a large proportion of the urban population in Global South cities to gain access to housing and urban facilities (UN- Habitat, 2003 ). The United Nations (UN- Habitat, 2003 , 2015 ) defines informal settlements as those that do not comply with planning and building regulations, i.e. that usually lack basic services and infrastructures. However, this view has been criticised for being deprecatory and for not recognising the positive characteristics of such neighbourhoods (Gilbert, 2007 ; Robinson, 2006 ). An alternative is to view informal settlements in terms of the patterns or processes of development that they followed or continue to follow. This chapter adopts this alternative view and recognises informal settlements as socio-spatial urban developments in which local residents have a central role in the production and transformation of their built environment (Hern á ndez- Garcia, 2013). Public spaces in these settlements are thus primarily what residents make of them through participatory and self managed community processes, i.e. bottom- up processes. Consequently, they are more than just spatial units, i.e. parks and squares; they display distinctive sociospatial qualities and dynamics that result from, and reflect, particular bottom- up urban design processes characterised by conflictual and collaborative situations (Hern á ndez- Bonilla, 2008 ; Hernández- García, 2013). This process- orientated view of informal settlements offers an alternative way of thinking about the socio- spatial conditions shaping the design and production of contemporary public space (Hernández- Garcia, 2016 ). However, for its potential to be recognised, it needs to be better understood and integrated into academic and policy discussions (Romero et al ., 2004 ). This chapter takes a step in this direction by providing an in- depth analysis of the participatory and bottom- up public space production that occurs in these settlements and using it to expand the discussion on the relationship between public space and social cohesion. The analysis is based on empirical data obtained from a longitudinal study conducted between 2011 and 2016 in an informal settlement of Bogot á called Caracoli. A case study research is used, combining interviews with field visits and document analysis. Semi- structured interviews were conducted with key actors in the processes, including community leaders, local residents and authorities. The questions posed in interviews were explorative in nature and related to roles, activities and opinions of participants in the bottom- up process and its social and spatial outcomes. Field visits were conducted several times during the longitudinal study to observe and analyse socio- spatial transformations. Analysis of documents relating to policies and programmes obtained from different community organisations and government agencies was used to complement the interviews and field visits. The following section provides the theoretical background to the case. In it, different dimensions of social cohesion are identified and a social institutionalist approach for analysing bottom- up public space design processes is presented. A detailed description of the case is then provided, with the focus on the activities carried out and the actors involved in the bottom- up process and on the sociospatial qualities of the resulting public space. This is followed by a discussion in which the dimensions of social cohesion and the social institutionalist approach are combined in order to identify benefits and challenges that the bottom- up process had for fostering social cohesion in the case study. The chapter concludes with the potential lessons that bottom- up public space design processes might provide for the field of urban design and for future professionally led public space projects.
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Research Interests: Sociology, Architecture, Participatory Design, Conflict, Politics, and 15 moreCitizen Journalism, Privatisation Of Public Space, Collaborative Design, Urban And Regional Planning, Public Space, Participatory Planning, Urban Design, Urban design and planning, Public Participation, Public spaces, Collaborative Planning, Participatory Decision Making, Communicative and collaborative planning, Architecture and Public Spaces, and Communicative Planning Practice
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The defining challenge for our generation is to createwell-being and equality within the ecological boundariesof the planet. To meet the challenge key stakeholdersneed to overcome their differences ...
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Denna andra delrapport redovisar resultat fran den foljeforskning som Uppsala universitet bedriver for att stodja SKL:s projekt for att utveckla metoder for medborgardialog om komplexa samhallsfrag ...
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This monograph compiles a highly discussed issue present in many cities of the developing world today; it brings forward the importance of facing the challenges that slums create to today’s cities and the mechanisms used for tackling such... more
This monograph compiles a highly discussed issue present in many cities of the developing world today; it brings forward the importance of facing the challenges that slums create to today’s cities and the mechanisms used for tackling such challenge. The study focuses on the use of participatory planning approaches in the context of slum upgrading, giving the reader an insight to the advantages and challenges of such approach. It is built around a model of participatory slum upgrading in the city of Medellin, Colombia, called “PUI - Proyecto Urbano Integral” (Integral Urban Project). The principles, methods and tools of the “PUI Model” and its implementation, are evaluated based on theories and experiences dealing with the topic. The results of the evaluation show that even though there was a strong political will towards using principles of participatory planning and slum upgrading approaches, there is still the need of deeper understanding of such concepts and how these can be impl...
The involvement of local communities in public space planning and design processes is widely promoted as an essential element of landscape architecture and urban design practice. Despite this, there has been little theorisation of this... more
The involvement of local communities in public space planning and design processes is widely promoted as an essential element of landscape architecture and urban design practice. Despite this, there has been little theorisation of this topic within these fields. Furthermore, the implementation of ideals and principles commonly found in theory are far from becoming mainstream practice, indicating a significant gap between the theory and practice of participation. This thesis aims to contribute to the development of theories of participation in the planning and design of public spaces. It steps away from the prevailing normative and procedural approach to theory development, and instead adopts a critical approach grounded on the deep understanding of the challenges of participation in the planning and design of public spaces. Case studies of two urban renewal projects, in Medellin, Colombia, and in Barcelona, Spain, and their participatory processes, are used for building up the theor...
This document compiles a highly discussed issue present in many cities of the developing world today; it brings forward the importance of facing the challenges that slums create to today’s cities a ...
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This chapter focuses on the use of participatory approaches in the context of urban upgrading of deprived neighbourhoods and specifically in relation to the development of new public spaces. The chapter is built around an integrated and... more
This chapter focuses on the use of participatory approaches in the context of urban upgrading of deprived neighbourhoods and specifically in relation to the development of new public spaces. The chapter is built around an integrated and participatory urban upgrading strategy called “Social Urbanism”, focusing on the first project implementing such strategy: the “PUI-Nororiental”. By illustrating and discussing the PUI-Noriental project, the chapter shows how participatory processes can become an important part of integrated approaches, contributing to the development of urban environments and social programs that are closely related to the needs and demands of the local communities, as well as achieving significant social and institutional outcomes during the different stages of the process. The chapter focuses on the benefits that were achieved with and during the participatory process of the PUINororiental, as well as discusses some challenges and weaknesses of the process. Noneth...
The defining challenge for our generation is to createwell-being and equality within the ecological boundariesof the planet. To meet the challenge key stakeholdersneed to overcome their differences ...