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Assembling Urbanism: Following Policies and ‘Studying Through’ the Sites and Situations of Policy Making

Author

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  • Eugene McCann

    (Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada)

  • Kevin Ward

    (Geography, School of Environment and Development, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, England)

Abstract

Recent years have seen a challenge to the territorial orthodoxy in urban studies. An interest in policy assemblage, mobility, and mutation has begun to open up ‘the what’ and ‘the where’ of urban policy making. Unfortunately—but perhaps not surprisingly—theoretical developments and empirical insights have run ahead of significant methodological considerations. This paper turns to some of the methodological consequences of studying the chains, circuits, networks, and webs in and through which policy and its associated discourses and ideologies are made mobile and mutable. It focuses on three rubrics under which methodological decisions can be made: ‘studying through’ (rather than studying up or down), techniques of following actors, policies, etc, and relational situations in which mobilization and assemblage happen. The paper concludes with a brief reflection on how academic research design and writing assemble cities and urban policy making in ways that parallel the assembling practices of policy actors.

Suggested Citation

  • Eugene McCann & Kevin Ward, 2012. "Assembling Urbanism: Following Policies and ‘Studying Through’ the Sites and Situations of Policy Making," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(1), pages 42-51, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:44:y:2012:i:1:p:42-51
    DOI: 10.1068/a44178
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John Allen & Allan Cochrane, 2007. "Beyond the Territorial Fix: Regional Assemblages, Politics and Power," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(9), pages 1161-1175.
    2. Robert E. Dickinson, 1948. "The Scope and Status of Urban Geography: An Assessment," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 24(3), pages 221-238.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Håvard Haarstad & Stina Ellevseth Oseland, 2017. "Historicizing Urban Sustainability: The Shifting Ideals Behind Forus Industrial Park, Norway," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(5), pages 838-854, September.
    3. Avelar, Marina & Ball, Stephen J., 2019. "Mapping new philanthropy and the heterarchical state: The Mobilization for the National Learning Standards in Brazil," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 65-73.
    4. Marcin Dąbrowski & Viktor Varjú & Libera Amenta, 2019. "Transferring Circular Economy Solutions across Differentiated Territories: Understanding and Overcoming the Barriers for Knowledge Transfer," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 52-62.
    5. Evan Cleave & Godwin Arku & Merlin Chatwin, 2019. "Are they Surgeons? or are they Plumbers? Assessing the Role of Private Sector Consultants in Place Branding and Other Place-Based Economic Development Strategies," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 179-200, June.
    6. Ferbrache, Fiona, 2018. "Developing bus rapid transit," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 203-205.
    7. Sally Weller, 2017. "Fast Parallels? Contesting Mobile Policy Technologies," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(5), pages 821-837, September.
    8. Jane M. Jacobs & Loretta Lees, 2013. "Defensible Space on the Move: Revisiting the Urban Geography of Alice Coleman," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(5), pages 1559-1583, September.

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