The governance of mundane urban nuisances

Abstract

Existing research demonstrates how the governance of urban nuisances is often linked to the punitive treatment of marginalised subjects and the neoliberal imperatives that drive this. Yet, whilst the discourse of nuisance disproportionately effects marginalised populations, it is also applied to other urban subjects and problems. Drawing on a qualitative study of nuisance governance in Brisbane, Australia, this paper extends upon the existing literature by investigating how nuisances are governed in the wider community, paying particular attention to the role of punitive practices and neoliberal rationalities in this process. It shows how a broader array of neoliberal rationalities inform nuisance governance than acknowledged in previous research, which has predominantly focused on the political-economic rationality of ‘urban entrepreneurialism’. It shows, furthermore, that these rationalities do not merely promote punitive responses to nuisance problems, but rather combine punishment with more traditionally ‘liberal’ governance practices that seek to facilitate self-governance. I argue that taking account of this broader array of nuisance governance practices enables us to better understand what is specific about the treatment of marginalised urban populations, as well as deepening our understanding of the relationship between neoliberal rationalities and punitive governance practices.