Sustainable Place-making Research Articles

Rethinking the Local Knowledge Approach to Placemaking: Lessons from Turkey

This article explores the relationship between knowledge and sustainable placemaking. Distinguishing between “expert knowledge” and “local knowledge,” it first problematizes expert knowledge, and then traces the local knowledge approach to placemaking. The widening gap between expert and local knowledge prompts understanding their sources and modes of knowing. By viewing place as an organization this article draws from Nonaka's (1994) distinctions of four modes of knowledge creation in an organization, and explores the commonalities between the two. The analogy between place and organization helps gain new insights from the organizational theory literature which links processed information to knowledge creation. Seeking similarities between place and organization arises from how individuals in organizations and places process information to solve problems. Critically examining local knowledge questions the presupposition of a fixed, static mode of knowing, and helps incorporate a range of activities and knowhow associated with different stages of placemaking. The study suggests that local knowledge converts existing knowledge into four types of new knowledge during the placemaking process. Furthermore, compared to the top-down nature of expert knowledge which mainly adheres to the principles of scientific rationality for grand planning and problem solving, the local knowledge approach to placemaking is bottom-up, fosters piecemeal growth, and thus is more adaptable and sustainable. Promoting (social) sustainability through knowledge conversion (i.e., converting tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge and vice versa), social interaction and self-help characterize placemaking in informal settlements.

Leadership challenges in the inner city: planning for sustainable regeneration in Birmingham and Barcelona

Approaches to inner-city regeneration in Britain, Europe and North America have evolved since the 1980s to reflect greater priority on diversity of activities and more sustainable development. This has in turn posed new challenges for leadership in place-shaping and highlighted the need for different sets of skills, aptitudes and values than those which prevailed in the 1980s and 90s. This article examines how planners and policy-makers in Birmingham and Barcelona have tackled these challenges in the creation of new urban districts. It shows that while top-down approaches still prevail in both cities, leaders in Barcelona have been able to adapt more readily to the demands of a new era. In Birmingham, policymakers have struggled to break free of the more traditional approach that suited the city well in the 1980s but is less conducive to sustainable place-making challenges in the present day. This divergence of experience can be explained by several factors, most notably the institutional framework within which leaders operate and the prevailing planning culture rooted in the cities' pasts. The findings point to the need for this cultural influence to be taken into account in the forging of new leadership approaches in urban regeneration contexts.

Creating healthy cities through socially sustainable placemaking

Creating healthy cities through socially sustainable placemaking