Social PolisSocial PolisSocial Platform on Cities and Social Cohesion

www.socialpolis.eu

Coordinators

Frank Moulaert Professor of Spatial Planning - Department of Architecture, Urban

Design and Regional Planning, KU Leuven.Visiting Professor – School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape,

Newcastle University.

Jean HillierProfessor of Town and Country Planning - School of Architecture,

Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University

Co-Coordinator: Sako MusterdProfessor of Social Geography – Universiteit van Amsterdam

Why do we need a social platform?Life spheres

IssuesEconomy Polity Socio-cultural Ethics Other life spheres

(urban focus)City as whole

Cohesion Sustainable relations between economic activities

Multidimensional citizenship

Cosmopolitan democracy

Equal opportunity frames

The livable city – The social city – The good city

City as a Polis for All

Inclusion Labour market inclusion

Democratising governance – Multiple identities

Access to ‘other’ social networksThe sociological ‘arts’ of inclusion

Respect for diversity

Urban social and economic policyNetworked society

Meeting places -Interethnic interaction -Beyond class boundaries

Exclusion Fragmentation of labour markets, economic structures and their institutions

Elite representationClientelismTensions between economic flows and territoriality

Social discrimination

Elitist ethics Networked societySpatiality of service provision

Threat of crime, terrorism, disease (disaster with city-wide impact) – Ideology of ‘dangerous otherness’

Collective action – Public policy Peak bodies,

corporatismCollective social

enterprisesMicro-creditPolicies promoting

economic equality and social economy

Direct actionGrassroots actionNetworked

campaignsImproving citizens

rights (public policy)

Social-artistic arts initiatives

Radical performance movements

Educational and cultural policy

Fair trade movements

Green movementsImproving

democratic control on public policy

Urban safety movements (Reclaim the Night etc)

Policies addressing urban safety

- Citizens Arenas and Participation Platforms

Relations between ‘new’ governance and representative democracy

What is a social platform?

a system which leverages the power of social connectivity to distribute information, to facilitate the emergence of new connections, to synergise flows of energy and ideas.

an open-network space for information gathering and co-ordination, inclusionary dialogue and debate.

Objectives of Social Polis

To elaborate a Focused Research Agenda which emphasises the role of cities in social cohesion and on key related policy questions.

To construct a social platform where practitioners and researchers can contribute their information and discuss what that research agenda might be.

sub-objectives

Critical analysis of research that has been undertaken to date. Survey papers of 12 Existential Fields.

Establishment of an open, multi-layered network of actors concerned with research, policy and practice about cities and social cohesion.

Promotion of dialogue between actors in the social platform.

Production and elaboration of a Focused Research Agenda on Cities and Social Cohesion for EU FP7 Calls 2010-2013.

Production of thematic strategic texts supporting a coherent research agenda.

Who is Social Polis?(i) a Scientific Networka) the Scientific Core of Social Polis partners:

No. Organisation1 Global Urban Research Unit (GURU), Newcastle University

2 Amsterdam Institute for Metropolitan and International Development Studies

3 ITER s.r.l., Centro Ricerche e Servizi, Napoli

4 Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien – Institut für Regional- und Umweltwirtschaft (Institute for Environmental and Regional Development )

5 Centre de recherche sur les innovations sociales , Université du Québec à Montréal

6 Centro de Estudos Geográficos da Universidade de Lisboa

7 Dipartimento di Sociologia e Ricerca Sociale, Universita degli studi di Milano Bicocca

8 Centre de recherche et d'information sur la démocratie et l'autonomie, Paris

9 Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, ASRO/P&D and Institute for Social and Economic Geography

10 Universitat Barcelona – Departmento de Teoría Sociológica,

11 University of Manchester – School of Environment of – and Development,

b) the Researchers Network Partner No. Networks/ Significant partners (KEY ones only)1 Coordinator – Gateway Partner

UNEW

(Newcastle)AHURI RMIT-NATSEM Research Centre, RMIT, Melbourne, Australia

Alcoa Research Centre for Stronger Communities, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong

China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, Beijing, China

Mirvac Group, Perth, Western Australia

Australian Conservation Foundation, Sydney

2 Co-Coordinator AMIDst (Amsterdam) Metropolitan Observatory of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

Catholic University of Uruguay

significant USA partners are at Wayne State University; CUNY (NYC); NYU (NYC); and others

3 Gateway Partner ITER (Napoli)KATARSIS Southern network (Athens, Roma, Salerno)

4 Gateway Partner WU-Wien (Vienna) Cornivus University, Budapest, Hungary

Masaryk University, Czech Republic

UCS - Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Brazi

UFPE-Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brazil

5 Gateway Partner CRISES(Québec) Instituto de investigación y formación en administración pública (IIFAP), Córdoba Argentina

Red Iberoamericana de investigadores sobre globalización y territorio, Mexico

Innovation System Research Network (ISRN), Canada

Alliance de recherche université-communauté en économie sociale, Canada

6 Gateway Partner CEG-UL (Lisbon) Universidade Eduardo Mondlane - Centro de Estudos da População (Maputo, Mozambique)

Southern African Migration Project (SAMP)

Afrobarometer

Related EU projects

URSPIC (1997-1999) Urban regeneration and social Polarisation in the City

SINGOCOM (2001-2004) Social Innovation, Governance and Community Building 

DEMOLOGOS (2004-2007) Development Models and Logics of Socioeconomic Organisation of Space

KATARSIS (2006-09) Growing Inequality and Social Innovation: Alternative Knowledge and Practice in Overcoming Social Exclusion in Europe.

a) the Social Polis Inner Circle

b) Stakeholders Network 1

c) Stakeholders Network 2

(ii) Stakeholder Networks

How does Social Polis work?

(i) the Social Polis interactive website

www.socialpolis.eu

(ii) The Newsletter

(iii) Larger Conferences

(iv) Conferences and Workshops

(v) Brussels meetings with Inner Circle and European networks.

(vi) Information dissemination.

(vii) Critical Analysis of Research

Inductive definition of the EF Summary of research themes and results in previous FP

as well as other European Research; Signalled lacunae in EU research Political challenges in the EF: what do policy debates say

about this EF? Research relevance? Theoretical and methodological shortcomings and

improvements needed; Identification of major consultation and policy fora for

this EF; Shortlist of proposed research topics.

Papers’ organization

(viii) Focused Research Agenda

Proposal 1 (Laurent Fraisse & Frank Moulaert)1) Urban social cohesion in the face of global changes2) Rethinking cities in the ecological urban age3) Developing a plural economic approach to tackle the urban economic divide4) Governing cohesion and diversity5) Understanding urban behaviour, community initiatives and neighbourhood

development

Proposal 2 (Marisol García, Santiago Eizaguirre & Frank Moulaert)1) Reuniting research on urban social cohesion2) Social exclusion dynamics as challenges for social cohesion3) Redefining welfare in cities, sustainability and social justice4) The governance of the private and public domains5) Participation, democratisation and socially creative strategies

Where to From Here?

Social Polis -Social Polis -