A “Promise” of Proximity in Pandemic Times: Governing Urban Marginality in the Netherlands and France

Abstract

<p>In early 2020, the world went in lockdown. New norms of social distancing and remote work were implemented in response to the Covid-19 crisis. These norms challenged a key aspect of the current governance of urban marginality, namely: ‘proximity’. In this article, I explore how ‘proximity’, involving physical presence of public service delivery in the neighborhood and through direct contact with urban residents, was practiced in times of the pandemic. More specifically, I draw on ethnographic research in marginalized neighborhoods in the Netherlands and France to investigate how local actors responded to the Covid-19 crisis and what was left of ‘proximity’ in times of the pandemic. I found that first, a focus on physical presence for responsiveness was too limited a view of the value of proximate governance. Second, while the local neighborhood was promised to be a scale for integrated approaches, the reality presented sectored prioritization and urgency within already prioritized neighborhoods. Third, while marginalized neighborhoods were celebrated as places of solidarity and civic engagement, aspects of community development appeared to be seen as problematic for the neighborhood as well. Examining the discrepancies between promises and practices of proximity, served as a gateway to identify these three underexamined limitations of and challenges for proximate governance - also beyond pandemic times. As such, this article sheds light on the methods used by urban professionals and residents to respond to circumstances of crisis and vulnerability in the context of Covid-19 specifically, and more generally, to improve living conditions in marginalized neighborhoods.</p>