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Research article2022Peer reviewedOpen access

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

Westin, Martin; Joosse, Sofie

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

    • Sustainable Development Goals

      Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
      Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

      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