Suchergebnisse

Addressing the under-researched interplay between civic activism and government agencies, this paper focuses on the conditions for broad local support for civic crowdfunding projects and the interaction between proponents of such projects, their associated stakeholders, and traditional urban planning frameworks. Building on Carolina Pacchi's the work on the relationships between community and state in examples of local activism in European cities, the paper applies four types of relationship between community and state: state regulation and community implementation; cooperation; community autonomy; and community opposition. These are used to unpack the diff erent phases of civic crowdfunding projects and to show how relationships with the state evolve throughout the lifecycle of a project. Drawing upon qualitative research carried out in London and Milan between 2015 and 2017, we examine the case of the Peckham Coal Line in south London, a proposed urban elevated park along a disused coal line. Chosen for its long-term ambitions, its substantial local support and fi nancial backing through mayoral match-funding, the case is used to examine the dynamic nature interaction between the digitally enabled activism of civic crowdfunding and local government agencies. Our study of the development of the Peckham Coal Line project gives insight into the shifting nature of the relationship between civic actors and the state, showing that while the 'autonomous' development of local projects is an important aspect of civic crowdfunding projects, the state does not disappear. Further, online and offline activities are only one step in the redefi nition of contemporary forms of citizenship and the claim that of civic crowdfunding can deliver extended citizen participation should be more closely scrutinized.

This paper draws on qualitative research, carried out in London and Milano, to investigate the growing phenomenon of civic crowdfunding projects. This approach is framed by interdisciplinary debates around governance and collaborative, community-led initiatives aiming at making cities more inclusive and sustainable. In particular, this work draws on discourses around Actor-Network Theory, diverse economies and spatial agency, to focus on the negotiation of new and alternative networks of urban governance (both off-line and on-line), and on to what extent these can be seen as socially innovative. In this context the paper discusses how technologies can be employed to empower citizens in envisioning, designing and shaping the future of the city through local, bottom up and innovative initiatives like civic crowdfunding, but also what is the role of Local Government in fostering the emergence of and supporting such initiatives. By exploring innovative practices emerging in highly formal planning systems, in UK and Italy, this paper discusses the potential role of self-organised groups in producing alternative views of the city, against or within dominant urban development practices.