Beyond Neoliberalism: A Policy Agenda for a Progressive City

Abstract

The urban crisis—poverty and inequality, un—and under-employment, inadequate and unaffordable housing and public transportation, pollution and climate disasters—is the result of the failure of the neoliberal agenda to produce adequate funds and capacities to ensure the provision of services necessary for the city to function and its residents to thrive, especially the most vulnerable, and increasingly, the middle class. In the last few years, there appears to be a potential for a new more radical direction in urban policy. Yet, urban scholars and practitioners have been slow to notice the new possibilities that reopens the question of whether cities may engage in redistributive policies. In reviewing the history and current practice of progressive politics and policy in cities, this paper explores what a policy agenda for a progressive city might entail and identifies themes and questions for a renewed urban politics research agenda.

A future research agenda for transformational urban policy studies

“…1 Studies can be undertaken, policy actions can be made, and ambitious goals and plans can be adopted, such as strategies to end poverty and homelessness or to support sanctuary cities and age-friendly cities, but these lack concrete implementation plans or budget appropriations, leading to critiques of symbolic policymaking (see Joy, 2020). To address the problems would require raising taxes, building infrastructure such as affordable and accessible housing and transportation, redesigning the city to meet the needs of diverse residents and natural environments, providing and expanding social welfare and cultural policies, and investing in employment training and job creation (see Joy and Vogel, 2021). More fundamentally, addressing the problems requires recognising that the existing urban crises are tied to the underlying structure of status quo politics and markets.…”

“…Addressing the urban crisis requires more fundamental revolution through transformative policy change. Transformative urban policy 1) directly tackles systemic inequities and their intersections; 2) is co-constructed with and supports those most marginalised in dominant systems of inequity; and 3) expands public investment in social welfare and physical infrastructure to ensure social equity (Joy and Vogel, 2021). The transformative approach is predicated on widespread democratic participation to shape and give meaning to the specific policies and services to be provided to ensure that all residents can thrive and have control over their lives and prospects.…”

Ruşen Keleş’in Birikiminden Geleceğe: Türkiye’de ve Dünyada Kentleşme ve Yerel Yönetimlere Dair Dönüşümleri Okumak

“…İsmi geçen bazı kentlerin yönetim deneyimlerinden (ör. Barcelona) de yola çıkılarak uluslararası düzeyde sol/ilerici belediyeciliğin yeniden yükselişi üzerine yapılan akademik çalışmaların sayısı giderek artmaktadır (Angel, 2021;Blanco, Salazar ve Bianchi, 2020;Cumbers ve Paul, 2022;Joy ve Vogel, 2021). Türkiye'de de 2019 yerel seçimlerinde özellikle de metropol alanlarda elde edilen başarının bu bağlamda değerlendirilmesi ve siyasi partiler, yerel yönetimler ve kentsel hareketler arasındaki geçişkenliğin incelenmesi, Keleş'in hayalindeki cumhuriyetçi kentleşme projesinin en önemli araçlarından biri olan yerel yönetimlerin güçlendirilmesi tartışmalarına referansla, otoriter-popülist iktidarlara karşı "yerelden çıkış" imkanlarına dair önemli gözlemler yapma fırsatı verebilir (Savaşkan, 2021).…”

Progressive Urbanism in Small Towns: The Contingencies of Governing From the Left

“…"Progressive" is a disputed political term and terrain, with liberal and radical interpretations (Joy and Vogel 2021). The term "progressive" denotes those political forces, which despite their divergences, share a general commitment to social justice and positive freedoms (see della Porta 2020, 8).…”

“…What resources do they draw upon to confront the inevitable obstacles they encounter, and how do these shape the scope and ambition of policy makers? Despite continued urban austerity (Peck 2012;Theodore 2020), urban entrepreneurialism (Beswick and Penny 2018;Fuller 2018), and the deep failures of liberal urban policy (Imbroscio 2019), the possibilities of urban government have become the focus of renewed interest in urban studies (Tonkiss 2020;Joy and Vogel 2021). Notions such as "Progressive City" (Clavel 2010), "Radical Cities" (Baiocchi and Gies 2019), "Progressive Localism" (Featherstone et al 2012), and the "New Municipalism" (Thompson 2021), capture diverse political projects around the world aimed at democratizing local government, contesting inequalities, and promoting citizenship.…”