City Planning Realities by Prof. Dr. Avner de-Shalit

Future. City. Life!

City Planning Realities by Prof. Dr. Avner de-Shalit, 8th October 2013

Prof. Dr. Avner de-Shalit

Professor for Democracy and Human Rights Department of Political Science Hebrew University of Jerusalem

What do you have to think about when you have to break down a political vision into concrete city planning?

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So you have a vision… but what next?

Avner de-Shalit The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Avner.deshalit@mail.huji.ac.il

Artists, architects, and planners It’s a Love-Hate Story

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Let’s begin with a good example

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Zoom in...

The individual on top of the state

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The tourist guide pointed to a man who had returned from the market Sitting to rest for a moment and said “Do you see this man who return from the market sitting there? Just to the right of him you see an important building.” The Messiah will arrive when tourist guides say: “Do you see this building? Right next to it sits a man who returned from the market.”

Yehuda Amichai

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So having the above motto in mind, how do you break down a vision into a plan?

Two schools of thought: If people matter then let it be spontaneous; don’t impose and don’t

plan If people matter then we should care for them*: so plan (but who plans? Bottom up vs. top down) * Including for the least advantages and the vulnerable

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disadvantages

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!   Frustration and despair

Anyway, in very rare cases do authorities give up planning

!   Pollution pockets in New Jersey

Suppose it is not spontaneous – so what should you take into account?

!   Democracy → the people !   Democracy → city authorities !   Democracy → bureaucrats Persuade... Campaign…

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Oh dear, Is there any other way?

!   Can we do it differently? !   Can we ignore the need to persuade and to campaign? !   We don’t have time; we were told to prepare the vision – can we

skip this?

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So let’s start with the people

To gain the People’s support, you need to think of coalitions: !  Who else have similar visions? !  Who might support you initially? !  And who will join only because others will join earlier? But how to approach them?

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The People’s language of politics is the language of metaphors and images

Prof. George Lakoff (UC Berkeley)

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Metaphors and why they come about?

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!   Political metaphors: Tax relief, Red line

!   Images: the state as a family: the two model:

!   authoritative father nurturing mother

!   Democrats enthusiastic because of Obama’s “Yes, we can”

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City authorities?

!   Regardless of any other (policy) goal they have, politicians’ goal is to be re-elected.

!   So they’ll do what most people want them to do. !   Hence it’s back to persuading the people !   OK, though in general true, this isn’t so easy; we have to think how

to translate the vision into practice in terms of….

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Think how your vision not only costs but also opens up opportunities…

!   Tourists? !   Students coming to the city? !   More commercial and industrial activities will bring more income

which will bring more tax?

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So what about bureaucrats?

A word of praise for bureaucrats which also explains why so many people hate bureaucracy 20

Vision people vs. bureaucrats?

Where did they study? Who shaped their minds?

Art schools, design schools, self educated Universities, polytechnics,

Engineering, geography, economics

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Vision people vs. bureaucrats?

What characterizes their profession ethics?

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!   beauty !   aesthetics !   the good (not always

reachable)

!   Paid by the public – have to take into account the public’s interest (who knows?);

!   Might be afraid of their bosses (mayors, general directors) of the comptroller

Vision people vs. bureaucrats?

Mode of thinking

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!   Motivated by problem solving attitude

!   Down on earth !   Obliged to regulations -> no shortcuts

!   Motivated by grand visions; excitements

!   Think in the abstract !   Not bothered by obstacles

ready to take shortcuts

Vision people vs. bureaucrats?

!   Individualistic !   Heroic

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! Within organizations ! Prosaic

Sociology of work

What is the effect of the above

!   Language gaps !   Misunderstanding (concept and conceptions) !   Intolerance !   Angry moments

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Last but not least

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Love your vision but love people even more