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Transforming the City 3: Experimentation - Coggle Diagram
Transforming the City 3: Experimentation
Bulkeley & Castán Broto (2013): global overview of urban experiments
Analyses the actors involved in urban experiments. Often public-private partnerships.
Climate change attaching itself to the development, repair and maintenance of the city.
Political space used to be formed by the state/municipality. Becomes a new political space as the state is rescaled and more actors become involved. More 'in between' scale politics with climate change experiments. Taking place outside the existing channels of political authority.
Criteria defining an experiment (p. 368):
an initiative or intervention constitutes an experi- ment where it is a purposive attempt to reconfig- ure one or more socio-technical system for specific ends,
a climate change experiment where the explicit purpose is to reduce greenhouse gases or to adapt to the effects of climate change and
urban in so far as it is conducted by or on behalf of an (imagined) urban community.
Other examples of experiments that fit these criteria:
Blue City, Rotterdam: circulation of waste/water
Worm hotels, Amsterdam
Rotterdam tile gardens in front of houses nk-tegelwippen.nl
Diagram (p. 370): 6 sectors/categories of experiments. Often involving large infrastructures, requiring input from the state.
Quantitative vs qualitative research about climate change. Statistics useful but often not for making everyday people aware of climate change experiments happening. Need to be linked.
Chatterton (2016): urban commons case study of LILAC, Leeds, UK
Housing removed from the market. Values tied to wages rather than national
Anti- and post-capitalist ideals. Clear ideals in the project. Radical ideals but doesn't appear radical. This approach to research can help imagine alternatives for a better world.
The housing project still looks fairly normal - integrated into the wider community. Porous boundaries. Is it accessible in comparison to the goals?
Model goes against the traditional condo model of a gated community in a building.
Need capital to invest in the project. Not an accessible model for living for everyone.
Proof that the model works in at least one place. Homeownership but not contributing to the housing crisis, separated from it.
Does it exacerbate class polarisation between social housing tenants and homeowners?
People need to have similar views and a level of trust for the model to work. Would it work on a larger scale? Oriented around a smaller community, so maybe it's not possible to scale up.
Caprotti & Cowley (2017): critical outlook on urban experimentation
Urban experimentation through crisis? Have to think long-term. How many experiments will exist in a few years? Who defines what a crisis is?
Experimentation based on desire vs. need? Often both e.g. housing responses to the housing crisis but also trying to build a better future. People think long-term.
Climate crisis:
Need to consider who is being experimented on and who gets to decide what an experiment is.
Research neglects negative experiments and also experiments that turn bad but with good experiments. People with power decide what is a successful experiment, can neglect the effects on marginalised populations.
Cycling in COVID: more space for bikes created through crisis, may live on after once people have felt the benefits.
Article mentions scale: seeing experiments on the micro-scale e.g. on someone's balcony. This is also important.
Article critiques the tendency for research on experiments to neglect history.
What makes urban experiments different to other policymaking, urban governance and planning?
Aiming to do something new, different to the dominant neoliberal discourse. Need to look at who organises it. many experiments are orchestrated by the state or as public-private partnerships.
Might aim to become part of the mainstream, incorporated into urban governance.
What are the opportunities?
Niches can become mainstream.
Experimentalism is constant critique of the mainstream way of doing things. Constantly reassessing and adjusting.
Can tackle global issues on a local level.
Can have real, direct improvements in people's lives.
What are the threats?
Experiments often focus too much on the short term
Often aren't inclusive
Lack of coordination, small scale.
Spontaneity can be a strength or a weakness, depends on context!
Experiments seem to often be more of a performance than having a tangible benefit. Climate change 'experiments' are difficult to assess for the benefits.
Why is there a recent surge in urban experimentation?
Marketability of cities, drawing in the creative class. Creating an image for the city.
Cities competing for investment in a global field of players. Entrepreneurship.
Could be an older trend just under a new name due to the new interest from investors. Experiments in alternative forms of housing have always existed.
What can research do?
Can assess the strengths and weaknesses of experiments. Source of external, independent critique. Could use the results of research to push for change. Adapt the research for a wider audience that can be accessible.
Tell the stories of more marginalised people outside of the trendy 'experiments'.
Can also see the larger picture, some experiments may cause problems as well as making improvements.
Can conduct cost-to-benefit assessments.
Can research whether experiments can be transferred to other contexts.
Aim to be collaborative in research. Empower people who are being experimented 'on', people more or less involuntarily involved in the experiment. Make sure the people involved are not negatively affected.
Assess who decides what is an expreiment?
Savini & Bertolini 2019: think of examples of the different kinds of niches:
Dead: Occupy Amsterdam (suppressed by the state)
Marginalised: squatting (made illegal, still done)
Assimilated: domestic solar panels
Transformative: cycling, the return of trams in the UK
What would an urban experiment aimed at a transformative impact look like?
Should transformation always be the aim?
Need clearly defined goals, contact with formal institutions