Whose Knowledge Counts in the Planning of Urban Sustainability? - Investigating Handbooks for Nudging and Participation

Abstract

When planning sustainable districts, planners mediate between the knowledge claims of citizens and experts. The planning strategies nudging and participation provide contradictory ideas about how planners can perform this mediation. We analyse handbooks for the two strategies, guided by the question: whose knowledge counts? These handbooks provide citizens, experts and planners with varying degrees of authority. While nudging positions behavioural experts as holding authority, and citizens are central in participation, planners feature in the background in both strategies. We show how these seemingly apolitical strategies are actually value-laden. Implementing them literally will undermine planning for urban sustainability.

Keywords

Governance; expertise; behavioural change; frame analysis; planning; planners

Published in

Planning Theory and Practice
2022, Volume: 23, number: 3, pages: 388-405 Publisher: ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

SLU Authors

• Westin, Martin

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Joosse, Sofie

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities
SDG16 Peace, justice and strong institutions


UKÄ Subject classification

Social Sciences Interdisciplinary


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14649357.2022.2055118

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/116863