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2016 | Buch

Consensus Building Versus Irreconcilable Conflicts

Reframing Participatory Spatial Planning

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This book aims to identify ways of overcoming the limitations of the communicative tradition in understanding participatory spatial planning. Three conceptual models that offer different perspectives on public and civic participation in complex urban planning processes are presented and reviewed: the consensual model, which conceives of planning as a collective decision-making practice geared toward consensus building and conflict resolution; the conflictual model, which views planning as a social mobilization practice addressed at empowerment of marginalized groups; and the trading zone model, which reframes collaborative planning as a coordination activity with respect to practical proposals in the presence of unstable and conflicting rationalities and values. The controversial story of the Integrated Intervention Program “PII Isola Lunetta” in Milan is examined through the interpretative lenses of these models, with detailed interpretation of how each model performs in the field. The book concludes by offering critical reflections on the reframing of participatory spatial planning, highlighting the value of trading zones/trading languages and boundary objects as tools for understanding and addressing collaborative practices in complex and conflictual urban planning processes.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. New Challenges for Participatory Approaches in Spatial Planning
Abstract
This chapter presents the state of the art of this research and frames the main research question of the work. Contemporary literature shows a growing interest in reframing boundaries of public and civic participation in planning and an urgent need to reframe the theory of planning itself, looking for more effective and legitimate conceptions and approaches to participation. As a background of the research, this chapter gives an overview of the cultural origins of participatory approaches to urban and territorial planning, by exploring the epistemological and paradigmatic evolution of planning theory, the different political attitudes towards participation and the most consolidated participatory cultures and practice. The last paragraph deals with contemporary criticisms, expressed in trade literature, of contemporary practices of participatory planning, largely drawn by the communicative tradition.
Emanuela Saporito
Chapter 2. Looking for a Way Out. Three Models of Participative Planning: The “Conflictual”, “Consensual” and “Trading Zone” Approaches
Abstract
How to reframe the paradigm of participatory urban planning, according to a pragmatic and radical pluralistic perspective, as much consistent as possible with complexity and uncertainty of practices, subjects and meanings concerning contemporary cities’ transformation processes? This second chapter describes the theoretical framework of this work. Within relevant literature, I identified three main families of theories, three distinct interpretative “models” of reality, each of which copes differently with power and rationality dilemmas in planning (The literature review presented in the following paragraphs was supported by in-person interviews with the authors quoted. Among others, Susan Fainstein, Larry Susskind and Peter Galison.). On one side the “conflictual model”, frames planning action as a social mobilization practice, addressed to marginalized groups’ empowerment and social conflicts legitimation. On other hand, the “consensual model” conceives planning as collective decision-making practice according to organized and stable structures for consensus-building and conflicts resolution. In between the above theoretical domain we can find pragmatic approaches to participatory planning, among which a “trading zone model” represents an experimental and tentative way to reframe collaborative planning as a coordination activity on practical proposals in the presence of unstable, multiple and conflicting rationalities and values.
Emanuela Saporito
Chapter 3. A Case of Complexity in Urban Planning: The PII Isola Process in Milan
Abstract
This chapter deals with practical examples of complex and uncertain urban planning processes, where participation occurs according to different rationalities and by involving different typologies of actors. In particular, I opted for exploring one emblematic case study regarding an important redevelopment project in Milan: Porta Nuova project and the relevant “Programma Integrato di Intervento” Isola-Lunetta then de Castilla, where stakeholders and community groups were in a conflicting relationship and at the same time collaborative and deliberative spaces for participation have emerged. This field work is in line with the attempt to understand how participatory experiences can actually occur within urban planning policies, going through complex and fragmented even conflicting rationalities and procedures.
Emanuela Saporito
Chapter 4. Rationalities at Work: How to Read the PII Isola Participatory Process Through Three Different Conceptual Models
Abstract
Based on Allison’s method, which applied this analytic approach to the Cuba Missiles Crisis in The Essence of Decision (1971), this chapter looks at the settings and outcomes of the PII Isola case study, displayed in the previous chapter, according to the theoretical framework of this research. This chapter hence shows how each of the three interpretative groups of theories explored in Chap. 2 performs when applied to collaborative planning practices as interpretative lenses of a complex reality, and consequently how these three theoretical approaches differ from each other or even are interdependent.
Emanuela Saporito
Chapter 5. Reframing Participatory Spatial Planning: Critical Reflections
Abstract
In this chapter we discuss how reframing participatory planning according to a trading zone model would require us to adopt a “designing rationality” (Crosta 2010) that will insure all of the following: legitimate and effective participatory urban planning processes; enhancement of joint-action over problem-solving procedures, since a contextualized activity of sense-making generates objects, subjects and actions; conceive participation in practice as co-design and as trading zones where projects and plans can serve as boundary objects. Moreover, this chapter proposes that we open critical questions and themes for further research concerning the contentious nature of spatial planning.
Emanuela Saporito
Metadaten
Titel
Consensus Building Versus Irreconcilable Conflicts
verfasst von
Emanuela Saporito
Copyright-Jahr
2016
Electronic ISBN
978-3-319-30829-6
Print ISBN
978-3-319-30827-2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30829-6