Participation and urban policy-making in a network society – a theoretical outline on new urban governance

Society takes place in cities and shapes them. The “city” is commonly attributed with certain objectified qualities, daily practices, perceptions and symbolic readings and is strongly linked to institutional arrangements. As various transformation forces and processes can be observed in contemporary cities, the question arises: what instruments and possibilities can be identified for steering urban structures and development by means of urban policy? The current shift away from a top down oriented city administration and planning towards the participatory governance suggests that cities are facing new challenges and requirements that are closely associated with a political dimension. The possibilities of influencing and steering urban development by urban planning and policy and participation as one element of those control options will be discussed in this paper. In order to understand the role and scope of new urban governance the societal context that frames contemporary cities will be outlined. Starting from the characteristics of new urban governance modes it will be discussed why governance and participation can be understood as reaction to the network society and its challenges of the established nation-state based democracy, traditional power relations and legitimation of political processes and institutions

Comparative report on historic examples and similar recent social innovations in an early stage

CrESSI Deliverable 5.

Smart cities ranking: an effective instrument for the positioning of the cities?

Due to different reasons cities are increasingly challenged to improve their competitiveness. Different strategic efforts are discussed in planning sciences, new approaches and instruments are elaborated and applied, steering the positioning of cities in a competitive urban world. As one specific consequence city rankings have experienced a remarkable boom. However, there is some evidence that public attention of city rankings is mainly concentrated simply on the ranks themselves totally neglecting its meaning as an instrument for strategic planning. In order to elaborate this potential meaning of rankings the paper gives an overview of different types and introduces an own approach called ‘Smart City ranking’. Based on this ranking approach and corresponding experiences of different cities reacting on its dissemination in the second part the paper shows how this approach can be used as an effective instrument detecting strengths and weaknesses and improving a city’s competitiveness through relevant strategic efforts

Jerarquización de ciudades inteligentes: un instrumento efectivo para el posicionamento de las ciudades

Due to different reasons cities are increasingly challenged to improve their competitiveness. Different strategic efforts are discussed in planning sciences, new approaches and instruments are elaborated and applied, steering the positioning of cities in a competitive urban world. As one specific consequence city rankings have experienced a remarkable boom. However, there is some evidence that public attention of city rankings is mainly concentrated simply on the ranks themselves totally neglecting its meaning as an instrument for strategic planning. In order to elaborate this potential meaning of rankings the paper gives an overview of different types and introduces an own approach called ‘Smart City ranking’. Based on this ranking approach and corresponding experiences of different cities reacting on its dissemination in the second part the paper shows how this approach can be used as an effective instrument detecting strengths and weaknesses and improving a city’s competitiveness through relevant strategic efforts.Per diferents motius, les ciutats es troben cada vegada en major mesura front el repte de millorar la seva competitivitat. Diferents esforços estratègics són discutits en les ciències del planejament, nous enfocaments i instruments són elaborats i posats en pràctica, guiant el posicionament de les ciutats en un competitiu món urbà. Una conseqüència específica d’això és que la categorització de ciutats ha experimentat un augment notable. No obstant, hi ha certs indicis de que l’atenció pública respecte de la categorització de ciutats es centra principalment en les últimes posicions, oblidant completament la seva significança com instrument de planificació estratègica. Amb la finalitat de desenvolupar aquesta potencial significança de les categoritzacions, l’article fa un repàs de diferents tipus i presenta una aproximació pròpia anomenada “Smart City Ranking”. Basat en aquest enfocament a la categorització i les corresponents experiències de la reacció de diferents ciutats respecte a la seva difusió, en una segona part l’article mostra com aquesta aproximació pot ser utilitzada com instrument eficaç, reconeixent fortaleses i debilitats i millorant la competitivitat de les ciutats a través d’esforços estratègics adequats.Por diferentes motivos, las ciudades se encuentran cada vez en mayor medida ante el reto de mejorar su competitividad. Distintos esfuerzos estratégicos son discutidos en las ciencias del planeamiento, nuevos enfoques e instrumentos son elaborados y puestos en práctica, guiando el posicionamiento de las ciudades en un mundo urbano competitivo. Una consecuencia específica de ello es que la categorización de ciudades ha experimentado un auge notable. Sin embargo, hay ciertos indicios de que la atención sobre la jerarquización de ciudades se centra principalmente en las últimas posiciones, olvidando completamente su significancia como instrumento de planificación estratégica. Con el fin de desarrollar esta potencial significancia este artículo hace un repaso de distintos tipos y presenta una aproximación propia llamada “Smart City Ranking”. Basado en este enfoque a la categorización y las correspondientes experiencias de la reacción de diferentes ciudades en cuanto a su difusión, en una segunda parte el artículo muestra como esta aproximación puede ser utilizada como un instrumento eficaz, reconociendo fortalezas y debilidades y mejorando la competitividad de las ciudades a través de esfuerzos estratégicos adecuados.Peer Reviewe