Change by Activism: Insurgency, Autonomy, and Political Activism in Potosí-Jerusalén, Bogotá, Colombia

Cities today face a context in which traditional politics and policies struggle to cope with increasing urbanisation rates and growing inequalities. Meanwhile, social movements and political activists are rising up and inhabiting urban spaces as sites of contestation. However, through their practices, urban activists do more than just occupy spaces; they are fundamental drivers of urban transformation as they constantly face - and contest - spatial manifestations of power. This article aims to contribute to ongoing discussions on the role of activism in the field of urban design, by engaging with two concepts coming from the Global South: insurgency and autonomy. Through a historical account of the building of the Potosí-Jerusalén neighbourhood in Bogotá in the 1980s, it illustrates how both concepts can provide new insight into urban change by activism. On the one hand, the concept of insurgency helps unpack a mode of bottom-up action that inaugurates political spaces of contestation with the state; autonomy, on the other hand, helps reveal the complex nature of political action and the visions of urban transformation it entails. Although they were developed at the margins of conventional design theory and practice, both concepts are instrumental in advancing our understanding of how cities are shaped by activist practices. Thus, this article is part of a broader effort to (re)locate political activism in discussions about urban transformation, and rethink activism as a form of urban design practice

The production of space through practices of self-reliance: the spatiality of refugee integration in Berlin after the 2015 refugee crisis

The dramatic increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Europe since 2012 has generated a humanitarian challenge for both national and local governments, as their displacement is slowly becoming protracted. This has generated a transition from an emergency response, to new policies, programmes and projects that aim for the integration of refugees in cities. Within this context, Berlin is celebrated as a case of innovation in strategies for hosting refugees; an innovation that comes in contrast to refugee protests and contestation in different sites in the city.This paper will explore processes of refugee integration in Berlin, arguing that refugee self-reliance (whether practiced or enacted) is producing spaces of integration in the city. To do so, it will bring theories on space developed by Henri Lefebvre and Jacques Rancière to discussions on self-reliance and integration drawn from literature on sociology, cultural studies, humanitarian action and political science. A theoretical framework built from this will guide the analysis of two specific sites in the city where spaces of integration are being produced: the Tempelhof and Oranienplatz. As a conclusion, policy implications will be outlined to suggest that self-reliance should be understood as a spatial practice that produces different types of spaces of integration in the city. It is hoped that bringing space to the discussion on refugee integration and self-reliance might contribute to on-going debates on these topics. Furthermore, in a broader context, this aims to build on the argument that space is both a product and a precondition of society

The production of space through practices of self-reliance: the spatiality of refugee integration in Berlin after the 2015 refugee crisis

The dramatic increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Europe since 2012 has generated a humanitarian challenge for both national and local governments, as their displacement is slowly becoming protracted. This has generated a transition from an emergency response, to new policies, programmes and projects that aim for the integration of refugees in cities. Within this context, Berlin is celebrated as a case of innovation in strategies for hosting refugees; an innovation that comes in contrast to refugee protests and contestation in different sites in the city.This paper will explore processes of refugee integration in Berlin, arguing that refugee self-reliance (whether practiced or enacted) is producing spaces of integration in the city. To do so, it will bring theories on space developed by Henri Lefebvre and Jacques Rancière to discussions on self-reliance and integration drawn from literature on sociology, cultural studies, humanitarian action and political science. A theoretical framework built from this will guide the analysis of two specific sites in the city where spaces of integration are being produced: the Tempelhof and Oranienplatz. As a conclusion, policy implications will be outlined to suggest that self-reliance should be understood as a spatial practice that produces different types of spaces of integration in the city. It is hoped that bringing space to the discussion on refugee integration and self-reliance might contribute to on-going debates on these topics. Furthermore, in a broader context, this aims to build on the argument that space is both a product and a precondition of society

Implementing the contextual safeguarding approach: a study in one local authority

Purpose This study aims to explore how local authority child and family practitioners understood and implement the contextual safeguarding approach focusing, in particular, on what practitioners felt supported and hindered implementation. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study drew upon semi-structured interviews and focus groups to explore the perspectives of 18 frontline workers, team managers and senior managers in a London authority. The transcribed accounts were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Participants reported that the strain on services because of sustained budget cuts was overwhelming, even without the additional challenge of implementing this new approach. Further challenges in relation to implementation included parental-capacity focused legislation and conflicting perspectives between stakeholders. This study recommends that proper funding must be committed to safeguarding partnerships if contextual safeguarding is to be successfully implemented. Additionally, child protection practitioners should aim to develop a collaborative and child-welfare focused network of community agencies and organisations if young people are to be safeguarded in their communities. Research limitations/implications As the sample required specialist knowledge to participate in this study, this study cannot claim that the findings are generalisable to all social workers. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first external evaluation of the implementation of the contextual safeguarding approach in a local authority independent of the contextual safeguarding team at the University of Bedfordshire since the evaluation of Hackney

How are policies implemented in children's services? Developing an initial programme theory to evaluate the implementation of the new Child Sexual Exploitation guidance in Wales

Although children's social care is an area rich in guidance, there is very little research looking at the implementation of new policies in the United Kingdom. In this article, we report on the first stage of a realist evaluation of the implementation of the new Safeguarding Children from Child Sexual Exploitation guidance in Wales. We discuss the development of an initial programme theory, for which we conducted semi-structured interviews with practitioners and managers in three local authorities. We developed programme theories across three areas: policy nature and development, implementation plans and organizational context. Findings suggest that, for policies to produce a significant impact on practice, they need to be sufficiently different to social workers' current perceptions of practice. Second, we found that the coordination between national and local policies is critical for successful implementation as contradictions between them might lead to confusion in what local teams should prioritize. Finally, our findings highlight the importance of effective communication of policy changes, as well as a supportive organizational culture to strengthen implementation in local contexts. These findings illustrate the complexity of policy implementation and the need for policymakers to consider the meaningful involvement of local practitioners in national policy development

Illegal architecture? - Unravelling the ethics of insurgent architecture

In line with recent literature on alternative design praxis (Till, 2005; Boano, 2014), which call for a reconfiguration of the role of the architect, this paper/presentation will attempt to unravel the ethics of insurgent architecture through the work of Santiago Cirugeda and Recetas Urbanas in Spain.It will argue that Architecture and Urban Design have an ethical mandate to engage with social groups traditionally rendered “invisible” by mainstream policies and practices. To do so, it will explore Insurgent Architecture, as a mode of practice, through a relationship between space and legality which has its roots in Rancière’s space of politics, (Rancière, 2001; Dikeç, 2005) and the notion of invented (or claimed) spaces of citizenship in literature on participation in development (Cornwall, 2002; Cornwall & Coelho, 2006; Miraftab, 2004). Cirugeda’s discourse and work exemplifies how design (as a process) can give more than needed, serving as a tool for social activism through the subversion and questioning of what is considered legal. The generosity embedded in such ethos of practice will be explored through three of his projects (La Estrategia de la Garrapata, La Casa de Pepe and Aula Abierta), to illustrate how the relationship between legality and political space unfolds in such insurgent practices. As a conclusion, the effectiveness of such an approach to practice will be discussed in relation to its temporality, scale(s) of action and its success in achieving visibility and chang

Envisioning urban futures: What can urban design learn from how political activists imagine and enact urban change?

How do we envision the future of cities? This question is particularly relevant when doing research in (and about) cities today. We currently live in a context where traditional politics and policies struggle to cope with increasing urbanisation rates and growing inequalities. Meanwhile, social movements and political activists are rising up and inhabiting cities as sites of contestation. However, activists don’t just occupy space; they contest spatial manifestations of power and fundamentally transform cities. This paper will interrogate the meaning of envisioning urban futures in practices of political activism to argue for an understanding of them as a form of urban design practice. It will do so by comparing how activist practices transformed entire neighbourhoods in Bogotá (Potosí) and Berlin (Kreuzberg) between the 1970s and 1990s. Both cases illustrate how visions of urban change can be critically placed within a tension between utopian thinking and prefigurative politics. In Potosí, a community-based pedagogical project quickly evolved into a wider mobilisation to address the lack of health facilities, infrastructure and services in Bogotá’s informal settlements. This involved various discussions on how to achieve their desired societal change by: enacting in the present the society they wanted to create or engaging with the governance structures they criticised so heavily. Similarly in Kreuzberg, a critique of housing renewal policies triggered a cycle of mass mobilisation which encompassed wider discussions about squatting as an alternative development practice. Political activists in both cities deployed tactics and strategies that embraced the complexity of their urban context and raised questions about the means they needed for the ends sought. By arguing for an understanding of political activism as a form of urban design practice, the paper outlines the potential of (re)locating activism within design discourses and rethinking how we, as designers, envision and enact urban futures