The Democratic Foundations of the Just City

Where is agency in the context of urban transformation? Exploring the narratives of institutional stakeholders and community activists in Birmingham

“…Stakeholders who discussed social justice felt that this was an impossible aspiration and believed private investment would achieve it on their behalf. However, while investment may be transforming the city, the data show that inequalities are intensifying (Dlabac et al, 2019). There is neither a strategy nor a belief that the aims of the just city can realistically be achieved – namely, the equitable distribution of resources (Fainstein, 2010) and the disruption of processes that perpetuate inequality (Soja, 2010).…”

“…Fainstein (2010: 36) further argues that urban planning needs above all to focus on equity, referring to ‘a distribution of both material and nonmaterial benefits derived from public policy that does not favour those who are already better off at the beginning’. However, she ultimately doubts the capacity of fragmented and marginalised groups to achieve meaningful change in the face of powerful structural forces (Dlabac et al, 2022). We therefore supplement Fainstein’s approach with the theory of spatial justice proposed by Soja (2010), which argues that the equitable distribution of resources across cities is a way of spatialising the concept of social justice, with reference to the path dependency of historically neglected areas and the marginalised communities who live in them.…”

“…The withdrawal of support services has precipitated a substantial increase in homelessness (Shelter, 2018) and food bank use (Trussell Trust, 2019). At the same time, social segregation has increased, with poorer and marginalised residents increasingly concentrated into particular areas (Dlabac et al, 2019). These developments are congruent with intensifying neoliberalism in the UK that is privatisation, cuts to regulation and welfare provision, reducing expenditures on public goods, fiscal discipline and encouragement of the free flow of capital and investment (Falk, 1999).…”

Economic and Spatial Restructuring in the Aras Economic Zone: The Impact of Cross-Border Cooperation

“…Locals continue to prefer BRI strategies despite The results in AFTZ showed spatial heterogeneity, which, paradoxically, has tended to increase spatial inequalities [32], land use conflict [33,34], and inconsistency [72,73]; hence, careful planning is required. Any intervention that focuses solely on physical upgrading will have little influence; instead, a place syntax is required to communicate notions such as social interaction, networks, or social ties, much as it was for settlement transformation [74].…”

“…The relevant policies need restructuring to achieve the targeted outcomes [24], and regional growth [28] and spatial planning could act as a conduit for this. There is a dynamic relationship between economic changes and their spatial manifestation [36], highlighting the significance of social and perceptual data [3] while carrying out spatial restructuring plans, as well as providing crucial documentation for future international cooperation by investigating and harmonizing local engagement and sustainable development [74].…”