Whose Knowledge Counts in Planning Urban Sustainability?

Martin Westin and Sofie Joosse critically examines two methods for planning in a new article in Planning Theory & Practice. One is nudging, a much talked about method coined by economist Richard Thaler and Obama administration legal scholar Cass Sunstein. Nudging is based on findings in the behavioral sciences.

The other strategy is citizen participation. The idea here is to empower residents and include their knowledge in planning.

Joosse and Westin views planning as not only answering technical questions. Planning is also about values and thereby making choices about places and societies. Nudging is seen by the authors as part of a technical process where residents should be nudged towards making rational decisions as defined by planning experts. Participation on the other hand is about communication. Residents are included as participants in planning.

Handbooks as Scripts for Planning

Handbooks in nudging and participations are understood as scripts for urban planning by the authors. Nudging and participation justifies different kinds of authority. Nudging justifies the authority of experts in behavioral science and urban planning. Participation on the other hand justifies the authority of residents. Planners in the latter model are seen as facilitators of participation and thereby as restorers of a lost faith in democracy. Paradoxically, planners in participatory methods are understood as a different kind of authorities, namely on the practice of participation.

The work is part of the NAP project. Read more: Sustainable urban lifestyles through nudging and citizen participation NAP

Link to the article: Whose Knowledge Counts in the Planning of Urban Sustainability? – Investigating Handbooks for Nudging and Participation