The complexity of indexifying social sustainability in urban planning - A case study of the Social Cities Programme
Authors
Simonsen, Mette ; Jensen, Cecilie Overgaard
Term
4. Term
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-06-07
Pages
112
Abstract
International Federation for Housing and Planning (IFHP) står bag et nyt planlægningsværktøj, Social Cities Programme (SCP), som afprøves i Frederiksberg, Gladsaxe, Middelfart, Skive og Aalborg. Formålet er at gøre social bæredygtighed—altså hvordan byer understøtter trivsel, inklusion og samhørighed—mere håndterbar ved hjælp af et kvantitativt indeks, der opsummerer komplekse forhold i tal. Afhandlingen undersøger, hvordan SCP fungerer som et styringsværktøj, der påvirker kommunernes forståelse og praksis for social bæredygtighed. Analysen viser, at SCP blev lanceret i kølvandet på en intern krise i IFHP, hvilket har præget programmets synlige dagsorden om at styrke byers sociale bæredygtighed. På grund af SCP’s enkle og appellerende format har det i to kommuner fungeret som et styringsværktøj, fordi igangværende projekter var klar til at tage metoden i brug. Derudover har to andre kommuner allerede en forståelse og praksis for social bæredygtighed, som stemmer overens med SCP, fordi området er politisk prioriteret. SCP kan derfor potentielt fungere som styringsværktøj i andre kommuner, afhængigt af bl.a. timing, det politiske landskab, tværfagligt samarbejde og eksisterende planlægningspraksis. Afhandlingen argumenterer også for, at indekser kan hjælpe med at håndtere social bæredygtigheds kompleksitet, men at de kan afpolitisere debat og planlægning; derfor bør indekser bruges til at oplyse beslutninger frem for at være styrende.
The International Federation for Housing and Planning (IFHP) leads a new planning tool, the Social Cities Programme (SCP), which is being tested in five Danish municipalities: Frederiksberg, Gladsaxe, Middelfart, Skive and Aalborg. The aim is to make social sustainability—how cities support well-being, inclusion and social cohesion—more manageable through a quantitative index that summarizes complex conditions in numbers. This thesis examines how the SCP works as a governance tool that shapes municipalities’ understanding and practice of social sustainability. The study finds that the SCP was launched in the wake of an internal crisis within IFHP, which influenced the programme’s public agenda of strengthening cities’ social sustainability. Because of its simple and appealing format, the SCP has operated as a governance tool in two municipalities where ongoing projects were ready to adopt its methodology. Two other municipalities already had an approach aligned with the SCP because social sustainability is a political priority. The SCP therefore has the potential to function as a governance tool in other municipalities as well, depending on factors such as timing, the political landscape, interdisciplinary collaboration and existing planning practices. Finally, the thesis argues that indices can help manage the complexity of social sustainability, but they also risk depoliticising debates and urban planning; therefore, indices should inform decisions rather than prescribe them.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
Keywords
Documents