De la « militance » à la « consultance » : les bureaux d’études urbaines, acteurs et reflets de la « procéduralisation » de la participation

Abstract

De la « militance » à la « consultance » : les bureaux d'études urbaines, acteurs et reflets de la « procéduralisation » de la participation From "activism" to "consultancy": the urban design professionals and the formalization of participatory policies

Post-Political Development and Emancipation

“…In line with the governance logic, projects include networks, partnerships, stakeholder involvement, the combination of expert and lay knowledge, and ideas of 'active citizenship' (Pinson 2009;Jensen et al 2007;Boltanski and Chiapello 1999). Actors implementing publicly financed urban projects include NGOs, research and cultural institutes, consultants and development companies, among others (Nonjon 2012;Pinson 2009). There is a professionalization of paid project staff (Kovách and Kučerová 2006), and the development of participation has become a specific field of expertise (Nonjon 2012).…”

“…Actors implementing publicly financed urban projects include NGOs, research and cultural institutes, consultants and development companies, among others (Nonjon 2012;Pinson 2009). There is a professionalization of paid project staff (Kovách and Kučerová 2006), and the development of participation has become a specific field of expertise (Nonjon 2012). In his analysis of European urban projects, Pinson (2009) sees that although these projects have participatory and deliberative elements, they tend to be elitist and exclude the working class, marginalized groups, the critics of current urban policy and municipal representative institutions-in conformity with the post-political thesis.…”

Local Participatory Governance and Representative Democracy

“…The presence of experts invited by the organizers of public meetings also allowed for the emergence of arguments that served as counterweights to stances deemed to be too radical. Because the "participation" of neighbourhood councillors was presented as a significant investment for the municipality, with a high level of retribution in the participatory hierarchy -the drafting of opinions annexed to the deliberations of the municipal council -it was mandatory for neighbourhood councillors to attend meetings regularly and participate in the "training sessions" offered by the organizers, which consisted of socializing residents to administrative constraints on considering contradictory interests and setting budgetary priorities; those who did not comply faced exclusion, far from the aims of former "urban protest" activists involved in participatory policies (Nonjon, 2012).…”

“…Both employees had been selected by this civil servant, and their shared characteristics were indications of the skills required for the job. Trained in communication and marketing, they had no experience of the "activist" part of the professional networks of participation (Nonjon, 2012): the organizer held a Bachelor's degree in information and communication and a Master's degree in project management obtained at a business school; her assistant had obtained language and international business degrees in France and abroad.…”

Action publique et fabrique du consensus

“…Utilisées dans le cadre d'un nombre croissant de politiques publiques depuis les années 2000, les procédures participatives se sont professionnalisées et ont largement dépassé leur caractère expérimental (Nonjon, 2012 ;Sintomer, Blondiaux, 2002). Les instances étudiées ici, qualifiées de dispositifs participatifs, s'appuient dans les deux pays sur l'engagement volontaire d'acteurs organisés, souvent de façon sectorielle, et se distinguent de ce fait des conférences de citoyens ou débats publics s'inscrivant dans des démarches dites de démocratie participative.…”