January Lim, Angeliki Paidakaki, H. Verschure, P. van den Broeck
{"title":"Producing and Contesting Meanings of Participation in Planning: The Case of Singapore (1985–2020)","authors":"January Lim, Angeliki Paidakaki, H. Verschure, P. van den Broeck","doi":"10.1177/10780874221130530","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874221130530","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines how the concept of participation in planning has been constructed by state and nonstate actors in the politico-institutional context of Singapore. Our objective is to gain a deeper understanding of the political dynamics shaping ideas about participation, and the impact of these contested constructions on the perpetuation of the ruling party's political control. Drawing on strategic-relational institutionalist planning and cultural political economy theories, we analyze 312 documents including government and civil society periodicals, parliamentary debates, and academic publications, focusing on the planning and participatory practices of Singapore's national planning agency from the mid-1980s to 2020. The findings reveal that state-led coalitions continuously reframed participation as an instrument of economic growth, nation-building, and activism-management, while nonstate-led coalitions emerged to transform state-civil society relations through promoting and materializing alternative meanings of participation. These dynamics demonstrate the potentialities and limitations of democratizing urban planning and governance in Singapore's hybrid regime.","PeriodicalId":51427,"journal":{"name":"Urban Affairs Review","volume":"59 1","pages":"1775 - 1808"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2022-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49377159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Specialized Local Government and Water Conservation Policy in the United States","authors":"D. Switzer, Jun Deng","doi":"10.1177/10780874221080122","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874221080122","url":null,"abstract":"Special districts are an increasingly important part of the local government equation in the United States, representing over forty percent of local governments. The spread of these governments is controversial, however, as some argue that they will have a negative impact on service delivery, due to a perceived lack of political accountability. Others argue that their focus on single policy issues allow them to more efficiently respond to the citizens they serve. Despite the controversy, only a few studies have quantitatively investigated the differences in service delivery between special district and general purpose governments. Building on Mullin's earlier work, in this research note we investigate the relationship between specialized local government and water utility rates. We find little direct difference between special districts and general-purpose governments, with some minimal support for a conditional relationship between special districts and scarcity.","PeriodicalId":51427,"journal":{"name":"Urban Affairs Review","volume":"59 1","pages":"611 - 629"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2022-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44525778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amber Wichowsky, Jennifer Gaul-Stout, Jill McNew-Birren
{"title":"Creative Placemaking and Empowered Participatory Governance","authors":"Amber Wichowsky, Jennifer Gaul-Stout, Jill McNew-Birren","doi":"10.1177/10780874221123207","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874221123207","url":null,"abstract":"Creative placemaking has become a popular strategy to revitalize distressed neighborhoods. Who is empowered to participate in these projects and in what capacity? Do such efforts reduce or reinforce existing race-class inequities in community development? Drawing on three years of participant observations, interviews with stakeholders, and analyses of project reports, we use Archon Fung's “Democracy Cube” framework to evaluate a creative placemaking initiative in one of the most segregated cities in the United States. We find that over the course of the project, participation patterns shifted from highly diffuse across many individuals with varied roles to highly concentrated, such that only a few individuals maintained knowledge of ongoing developments in the project. We argue that this shift was not inevitable and discuss strategies that funders and organizations can use to increase equity in placemaking and community development endeavors.","PeriodicalId":51427,"journal":{"name":"Urban Affairs Review","volume":"59 1","pages":"1747 - 1774"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2022-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48781863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Why Political Scientists Should Study Smaller Cities","authors":"T. Kumar, M. Stenberg","doi":"10.1177/10780874221124610","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874221124610","url":null,"abstract":"In the past 20 years, Political Science research has increasingly focused on urban and local politics. We systematically review this literature and find that smaller cities are disproportionally underrepresented, particularly outside the United States. Smaller cities exhibit economic, social, and political patterns that differ from those in large metropolitan areas. Using administrative data and existing research, we show how cities of different sizes vary in their demographic characteristics; citizens’ preferences; resources and capacity; intergovernmental relationships; and electoral politics. These patterns indicate the potential to update existing theories in Political Science, including those about gender and political participation, second-order elections, and intergovernmental relationships. We suggest that scholars consider how smaller cities might differ from larger cities and include smaller municipalities in their case study research. We also highlight political issues unique to small cities as new areas of inquiry.","PeriodicalId":51427,"journal":{"name":"Urban Affairs Review","volume":"59 1","pages":"2005 - 2042"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2022-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47228445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Urban Affairs ReviewPub Date : 2022-09-01Epub Date: 2021-08-04DOI: 10.1177/10780874211031155
J Scott Matthews, R Michael McGregor, Laura B Stephenson
{"title":"Conceptualizing Municipal Elections: The Case of Toronto 2018.","authors":"J Scott Matthews, R Michael McGregor, Laura B Stephenson","doi":"10.1177/10780874211031155","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874211031155","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since Angus Campbell and colleagues first introduced the \"levels of conceptualization\" (LoC) framework as a measure of political sophistication, a number of scholars have applied the approach to subsequent American national elections. In this study, we present the first application of the LoC framework to a municipal election, and focus upon the 2018 Toronto mayoral race. After describing the method and data we use to adapt the framework to this new context, we replicate previous analyses, and find that LoC is related to local voter turnout and several measures of political sophistication. We then consider the question of whether major candidates were discussed at different LoC, and if their supporters view local politics at different LoC. We conclude by making the case that the LoC framework is helpful for resolving the debate over whether local politics are ideological or managerial in nature.</p>","PeriodicalId":51427,"journal":{"name":"Urban Affairs Review","volume":"58 5","pages":"1438-1465"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/10780874211031155","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40557685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corrigendum to The Moderating Effects of Social Norms on Premerger Overspending: Results from a Survey Experiment","authors":"","doi":"10.1177/10780874221120620","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874221120620","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51427,"journal":{"name":"Urban Affairs Review","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2022-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41566503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"School Characteristics and Voting: What Matters in Turnout and Passage","authors":"Karin E. Kitchens","doi":"10.1177/10780874221119987","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874221119987","url":null,"abstract":"Do school characteristics predict the likelihood of turning out to vote on tax referendums for school funding or predict passage of tax referendums for school funding? I rely on publicly available Florida Voter Registration files and connect voters to their closest elementary school. I then aggregate individual data to the precinct level to test what characteristics predict the passage of tax referendums. Pairing the individual level turnout data with the precinct level data, I find that there are differences in the composition of voters across election types and these voters are responding to different characteristics of schools. While we might expect school characteristics to matter more for special elections, this is not the case. School characteristics matter less in special elections because who is turning out to vote is different in those elections. General elections are the only time in which school performance is statistically related to the percent of yes vote.","PeriodicalId":51427,"journal":{"name":"Urban Affairs Review","volume":"59 1","pages":"1838 - 1874"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2022-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45889035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
N. F. da Cruz, Philipp Rode, Michael McQuarrie, N. Badstuber, Enora Robin
{"title":"Networked Urban Governance: A Socio-Structural Analysis of Transport Strategies in London and New York","authors":"N. F. da Cruz, Philipp Rode, Michael McQuarrie, N. Badstuber, Enora Robin","doi":"10.1177/10780874221117463","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874221117463","url":null,"abstract":"This paper investigates urban governance empirically by applying social network analysis methods to data gathered through structured interviews in London and New York. We explore how decisions are made in complex institutional environments inhabited by various types of actors. Owing to the time-consuming data collection and treatment processes, the research zooms in on transport. The comparative approach enabled the detection of different structural features in the governance networks shaping transport strategies in both cities. The perceived relative power, influence, dependence and/or affinity between the actors involved is discussed based on network attributes. The evidence suggests that transport governance in London is more centralised (and, arguably, more technocratic and integrated), in the sense that a few prestigious entities are clearly more prominent. In New York the institutional environment is typified by many checks and balances (and, arguably, more democratic and fragmented), where central actors are less obvious.","PeriodicalId":51427,"journal":{"name":"Urban Affairs Review","volume":"59 1","pages":"1908 - 1949"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2022-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42688681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
José Luis Fernández-Martínez, Patricia García-Espín, Pau Alarcón
{"title":"Assessing the New Municipalism Reform of Advisory Councils: The Cases of Madrid and Barcelona (2015–2019)","authors":"José Luis Fernández-Martínez, Patricia García-Espín, Pau Alarcón","doi":"10.1177/10780874221109444","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874221109444","url":null,"abstract":"New Municipalism governments in Madrid and Barcelona (2015 − 2019) promoted a new agenda which included participatory budgeting, e-initiatives, and randomly selected forums. Both cities implemented deep modifications in their Advisory Councils’ (AC) systems while the ‘New Municipalism movement’ (radical-left candidacies) was in government for first time. In this article we reflect on how these municipal administrations faced the different strategies for reform across their ecosystem of ACs. For this purpose, our analysis relies on six dimensions (drivers, inclusiveness, deliberation, communication, policy-making capacity and connectedness) which are identified in the literature and are empirically applied through a comparative case study (thirty-one interviews). Despite the common agenda, the cases show dissimilarities which are connected to alternative reform strategies: one case was characterized by experimentation (Madrid), the other by slight improvement (Barcelona). Path dependency contributes to understanding these alternative logics, even when a common agenda was at play.","PeriodicalId":51427,"journal":{"name":"Urban Affairs Review","volume":"59 1","pages":"1567 - 1600"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2022-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45566282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Impact of the National Housing Program on Residential Segregation in Costa Rica","authors":"E. Pérez-Molina","doi":"10.1177/10780874221113514","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874221113514","url":null,"abstract":"Residential socio-economic segregation in Costa Rica had an overall decreasing trend between 1973 and 2011 because of a sustained reduction in the amount of lower income households. However, in 1986, the national housing program was reformed, including a ten-fold increase in housing supply (292 thousand subsidies allocated in 1987-2011, in a country with 1.36 million housing units). The pattern of these subsidies was hypothesized to increase residential segregation in Costa Rica. Segregation indices were estimated per municipality for lower and higher income groups. The impact of social housing subsidies on segregation levels was quantified using a fixed effects model with standard errors corrected for spatial dependence. Social housing supply was found to have historically reduced residential segregation; however, the 1986 reforms created a system that followed the patterns of real estate markets, in turn reducing much of the system’s mitigation effect on residential segregation.","PeriodicalId":51427,"journal":{"name":"Urban Affairs Review","volume":"59 1","pages":"1700 - 1727"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2022-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49187632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}