Auteur: Tommaso Vitale Date: À: ML movimenti Bicocca Sujet: [movimenti.bicocca] Contesting privatization - Strategies for
democratization
> > Activist planning: towards a post-neoliberal future?
>
> Urban planning is a contentious terrain of political conflict in a
> neoliberalizing world. The term 'neoliberalism' may be increasingly
> vague in its usage, yet it also seems to be increasingly useful for
> many activists engaged in struggles over the changing governance of
> cities.
> Broadly, neoliberalism has entailed the dismantling of Keynesian
> welfarism and the rise of workfare; the privatization of public
> assets and services; the shift away from rights-based entitlements
> towards user-fees and other individualizing and 'active' forms of
> citizenship; 'flexible' work practices, and a faith in the power of
> 'entrepreneurialism' to cure all that ails us. In the realm of
> urban planning practice neoliberalism has meant, among other
> things, a growing reliance on private consultants and appointed
> boards to identify and define problems and to prescribe solutions.
> Neoliberal discourse often mobilizes the language of participatory
> and democratic planning practice, but in many places the move
> towards token consultations have the effect of 'capacity draining'
> already hard-pressed communities. What kinds of creative responses
> are groups developing to challenge these trends in different cities?
>
> There is now a large literature that outlines dominant discourses,
> policies, and practices associated with urban neoliberalism, as
> well as its various histories and geographies. But we have far
> fewer accounts of activist responses. The aim of this session is to
> bring together scholars and activist engaged with these questions
> to share and sharpen our understandings of these ongoing
> challenges, and to discuss tactics and strategies for bringing new
> practices into being.
>
> Topics may include but are not limited to:
> - Contesting privatization (ie - public services, spaces, nature,
> planning practice, etc)
> - Strategies for democratization (i.e.- participatory budgeting
> initiatives, coalition building, direct action, etc)
> - Racialization and urban planning
> - Asserting the right to the city
> - Gender and urban planning
>
> Our aim is to maximize time available for discussion and debate,
> and to avoid as much as possible standard paper presentations.
> Alternative modes of presentation are welcomed (e.g. film); if
> written papers are presented they should be short and circulated in
> advance. Formal spoken presentations should be limited to ten
> minutes each.
>
> Send an abstract to deb.cowen@???, &
> anders.lund_hansen@??? before April 1 2005. Registration and
> practical questions see: http://www.ngm.cc >
> Anders Lund Hansen
> Department of Social and Economic Geography Lund University,
> anders.lund_hansen@??? & Deborah Cowen Department of
> Geography and Programme in Planning University of Toronto,
> deb.cowen@???
>
> ___________________________________________________
> Anders Lund Hansen, Ph.Lic, Ph.D Grad
> Editorial Manager, Geografiska Annaler B Department of Social and
> Economic Geography Lund University Sölvegatan 10
> 223 62 Lund, Sweden
> phone +46 46 222 84 23
> fax +46 46 222 84 01
> http://www.keg.lu.se/personal/alh.htm > ____________________________________________________
>
> Welcome to the Inaugural Nordic Geographers Meeting
> May 10-14, 2005 Lund, Sweden
> Visit the conference website at http://www.ngm.cc
