Conceptualising modes of redistribution in public urban infrastructure

Abstract

In this paper, we distinguish between five modes of redistribution in the allocation of funding for public urban infrastructure, including: the prioritisation of disadvantaged urban areas (area-based redistribution); the prioritisation of infrastructures that support disadvantaged populations (differentiated redistribution); reorganisation of urban infrastructural networks to address issues such as centralisation (systemic redistribution); transformation of infrastructure funding allocation and delivery systems (structural redistribution); and the prioritisation of infrastructures that support a convivial urban culture (relational redistribution). We apply the first three modes of redistribution with a longitudinal comparative analysis of state government infrastructure expenditure in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, from 1999/2000 to 2015/2016. This analysis shows that infrastructure expenditure in Melbourne represented a more just approach to redistribution, in an area-based, differentiated and systemic sense. It highlights the potential and limitations of each mode of analysing redistribution and their combined application as a lens into spatial justice.