Despite the high priority refugees are given in the public and political discussion, urban planning has not yet started to systematically consider the role of planning in asylum policy. Mostly, the subject of refugees' arrival is addressed in local projects and housing without framing challenges and opportunities in the national and European context. A wider discussion on the used terminology of "integration" is missing just as much as a self-critical reflection on the orientation of planning discourses on the issue of housing only. In this editorial, our thematic issue "European Cities Planning for Asylum" is introduced and presented.
Despite the high priority refugees are given in the public and political discussion, urban planning has not yet started to systematically consider the role of planning in asylum policy. Mostly, the subject of refugees' arrival is addressed in local projects and housing without framing challenges and opportunities in the national and European context. A wider discussion on the used terminology of "integration" is missing just as much as a self-critical reflection on the orientation of planning discourses on the issue of housing only. In this editorial, our thematic issue "European Cities Planning for Asylum" is introduced and presented.
"Bis heute leidet New Orleans unter den Folgen des verheerenden Hurrikans 'Katrina', bei dem im Spätsommer 2005 weite Teile des Stadtgebiets überflutet wurden. Zehn Jahre später sind zwar die sichtbaren Schäden behoben, Häuser wurden renoviert und neue Unternehmen siedelten sich in der Südstaaten-Metropole an. Bei seinem jüngsten Besuch machte US-Präsident Obama jedoch deutlich, dass in der von Arbeitslosigkeit und hohen Kriminalitätsraten geplagten Stadt noch viel zu tun ist." (Autorenreferat)
ResumenUna de las principales hipótesis sobre cómo conseguir la democracia se basa en los efectos positivos de la implicación directa de los propios ciudadanos. La planificación urbana ha hecho suya esta idea en muchos países y con la aceptación del principio de subsidiariedad, la participación política de los ciudadanos en los procesos de decisión se ha convertido en una idea clave para el futuro desarrollo de la Unión Europea. El apoyo a una política y una planificación participativa constituye un objetivo muy extendido en las sociedades europeas. El ejemplo de Alemania muestra que las formas de democracia directa han tenido relevantes impactos en la planificación urbana. Sin embargo, el análisis de la tendencia general de las dos últimas décadas y de algunas ciudades alemanas plantea importantes cuestiones. El presente artículo, basado en un enfoque sociológico de las nuevas condiciones políticas y sociales de las ciudades alemanas, demostrará que una mayor participación ciudadana no conduce necesariamente a crear unas bases más democráticas en la planificación urbana. Consecuentemente, la revisión de los casos alemanes mostrará que en una "post-democracia" la planificación urbana se enfrenta a un concepto diferente de participación.Palabras clave: Democracia directa, participación, planeamiento, post-democracia, Alemania, cohesión social.AbstractOne of the main assumptions on how democracy can be achieved puts faith on the positive effects of the direct engagement of the citizens themselves. Urban planning has adapted to this idea in many countries. With the acceptance of the principal of subsidiarity, political participation of the citizens in decision processes has become a key idea for the further development for the European Union. The support for participatory forms of politics and planning were underpinned by a large desire in the European societies. The example of Germany shows that forms of direct democracy had major impacts on urban planning. The analysis of the overall trend of the last two decades and of some selected examples however rises important questions. Framed by a sociological look on the new social and political conditions of German cities, it will show that the basic argument that more participation leads to more democratic grounding of planning can be questioned. In result, the review of the German cases will show that in a "post-democracy", urban planning is confronted with a different meaning of participation.Keywords: Direct democracy, participation, planning, post-democracy, Germany, social cohesion.
