Planning with power. Implementing urban densification policies in Zurich, Switzerland

Jean-David Gerber and Gabriela Debrunner

Land Use Policy, 2022, vol. 123, issue C

Abstract: This article contributes to the debate on power in planning. It builds on recent developments linked with the so-called new institutional turn in planning. By bridging planning, new institutionalism, and power, the article ambitions to (1) develop a conceptual framework that captures the role of power in concrete spatial development projects, and (2) illustrate the potential of this framework with a real-life example of contested urban redevelopment in Zurich, Switzerland. The proposed framework provides a different picture of urban densification processes which are typically presented as eco-friendly and sustainable initiatives. Through its impact on the built environment and on existing rights and interests, redevelopment for urban densification creates not only winners, but also losers, especially among those inhabitants who cannot afford the higher rent following redevelopment in favor of density. Due to its conflictual nature, densification is therefore an ideal subject to study power in planning.

Keywords: Power; Planning; New institutional turn; Densification; Public policy; Institutional resource regime (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837722004276
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:123:y:2022:i:c:s0264837722004276

DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106400

Access Statistics for this article

Land Use Policy is currently edited by Jaap Zevenbergen

More articles in Land Use Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Joice Jiang ().