Linking Sustainable Development and Urban Spatial Conflicts in Poland: evidence from Warsaw

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The article addresses the perception of the concept of sustainability by the participants of urban conflicts that took place in Warsaw in 2015-2019. In the presented article, the research fields for urban conflicts and sustainable development intersect. The aim is to show how the concept of sustainability influences the expectations, attitudes, behaviour and decisions of participants in urban conflicts and, conversely, the relevance of urban conflicts for the implementation of the concept of sustainable urban development. The article is based on material from 96 IDIs with people (residents, city officials, local activists, researchers and media representatives) who were involved in selected conflicts around the functioning of urban space. The findings relate to the public understanding of the concept of sustainability, its relationship to the motivation to participate in urban conflicts, the role of conflicts in setting development directions and the identification and perception of the role of key stakeholders. I demonstrate that: (1) different understandings of what sustainable development is are one of the causes of urban conflicts; (2) the concept of sustainable development contains an agenda of issues around which the 'right to the city' is crystallised, which manifests itself in behavioural form in, among other things, the formula of participation in urban conflicts. The conclusions of the article can support education for urban sustainability and also urban policies to strengthen dialogue and governance.