Professional lobbying in urban planning: depoliticisation or REpoliticisation?

Abstract

This chapter argues that professional lobbying is turning out to be an important factor in the de- and re-politicisation processes of urban development. It describes the phenomenon of professional lobbying in urban planning in general terms. The chapter then draws on public affairs studies, outlining the broad spectrum of tasks of the lobbyist and identifying certain strategies and tactics of lobbying. To question the technocratic logics of contemporary urban governance, the chapter asks what the professionalisation of lobbying means and how it affects the planning process and the related decision-making process. The focus is on the Finnish context and especially on Helsinki.