{"title":"SPACES OF WITHDRAWAL: Compassionate Cities without Citizens","authors":"Morten Nielsen","doi":"10.1111/1468-2427.13342","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Shortly after Denmark's 2019 national elections, ‘social mixing’ became a key housing policy and urban development strategy. Aiming to end a period of neoliberal speculation, the new Social Democratic government promoted egalitarianism, civic participation and a benevolent public administration. Despite the government touting social mix as a revitalizing force for Danish cities, global data suggest that spatial proximity does not necessarily reduce social distance, as interactions between different social groups are often limited. Concurrently, more urban residents are withdrawing from traditional participatory forms such as neighborhood associations and municipal institutions, which often fail to address their concerns and accommodate their schedules. This essay questions whether the Danish version of social mixing is indeed a panacea for robust welfare urbanism. For those urban residents who may not have the resources to embody and enact the participatory ideal suggested by a welfare society, withdrawal may come to constitute a viable and often pragmatic form of care through connectedness. Paradoxically, then, compassion for the city is here articulated through deliberate and concerted strategies of moving away from major urban collectivities.</p>","PeriodicalId":14327,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Urban and Regional Research","volume":"49 4","pages":"1007-1014"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Urban and Regional Research","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-2427.13342","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"GEOGRAPHY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Shortly after Denmark's 2019 national elections, ‘social mixing’ became a key housing policy and urban development strategy. Aiming to end a period of neoliberal speculation, the new Social Democratic government promoted egalitarianism, civic participation and a benevolent public administration. Despite the government touting social mix as a revitalizing force for Danish cities, global data suggest that spatial proximity does not necessarily reduce social distance, as interactions between different social groups are often limited. Concurrently, more urban residents are withdrawing from traditional participatory forms such as neighborhood associations and municipal institutions, which often fail to address their concerns and accommodate their schedules. This essay questions whether the Danish version of social mixing is indeed a panacea for robust welfare urbanism. For those urban residents who may not have the resources to embody and enact the participatory ideal suggested by a welfare society, withdrawal may come to constitute a viable and often pragmatic form of care through connectedness. Paradoxically, then, compassion for the city is here articulated through deliberate and concerted strategies of moving away from major urban collectivities.
期刊介绍:
A groundbreaking forum for intellectual debate, IJURR is at the forefront of urban and regional research. With a cutting edge approach to linking theoretical development and empirical research, and a consistent demand for quality, IJURR encompasses key material from an unparalleled range of critical, comparative and geographic perspectives. Embracing a multidisciplinary approach to the field, IJURR is essential reading for social scientists with a concern for the complex, changing roles and futures of cities and regions.