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Participatory Planning, Justice, and Climate Change in Durban, South Africa

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  • Alex Aylett

    (Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, 1984 West Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2, Canada)

Abstract

A changing climate seriously challenges our sociopolitical and economic systems. Elaborating on one possible element of a successful human response, this paper looks at how participatory governance is treated in the literatures on social justice and climate change. This paper applies the works of Habermas and Foucault, as well as recent work from the fields of urban and environmental planning, to clarify how the balance between structure, power, and agency influences attempts to address social inequality and climate change. Applying this general framework to a case study of Durban, South Africa, the paper then discusses the effectiveness of participatory structures in practice. This case study provides a productive space to study the intersection of social and environmental concerns. It also allows us to explore how interactions between formal and informal participation expose the limits both of confrontational (Foucauldian) and of consensus-based (Habermassian) approaches to governance. These limitations are instructive as we attempt to create cities that are both socially just and environmentally sustainable.

Suggested Citation

  • Alex Aylett, 2010. "Participatory Planning, Justice, and Climate Change in Durban, South Africa," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 42(1), pages 99-115, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:42:y:2010:i:1:p:99-115
    DOI: 10.1068/a4274
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Patrick Heller, 2001. "Moving the State: The Politics of Democratic Decentralization in Kerala, South Africa, and Porto Alegre," Politics & Society, , vol. 29(1), pages 131-163, March.
    2. Frances Cleaver, 1999. "Paradoxes of participation: questioning participatory approaches to development," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(4), pages 597-612.
    3. Robinson, John, 2004. "Squaring the circle? Some thoughts on the idea of sustainable development," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 369-384, April.
    4. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    5. Dianne Scott & Catherine Oelofse, 2005. "Social and Environmental Justice in South African Cities: Including 'Invisible Stakeholders' in Environmental Assessment Procedures," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(3), pages 445-467.
    6. Alex Aylett, 2010. "Conflict, Collaboration and Climate Change: Participatory Democracy and Urban Environmental Struggles in Durban, South Africa," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 478-495, September.
    7. Elena Fagotto & Archon Fung, 2006. "Empowered Participation in Urban Governance: The Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 638-655, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Huesca-Pérez, María Elena & Sheinbaum-Pardo, Claudia & Köppel, Johann, 2016. "Social implications of siting wind energy in a disadvantaged region – The case of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 952-965.
    2. Clive Barnett, 2014. "What Do Cities Have to Do with Democracy?," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(5), pages 1625-1643, September.
    3. Alex Aylett, 2010. "Conflict, Collaboration and Climate Change: Participatory Democracy and Urban Environmental Struggles in Durban, South Africa," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 478-495, September.

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