Comparative planning and housing studies beyond taxonomy

Abstract

Recent European comparative studies in the fields of housing policy and spatial planning have been dominated by taxonomical and linear approaches, and by normative calls for convergence toward systems considered more 'mature' or 'advanced'. In this article, we adopt a genealogical perspective and consider those cultures that are central to the shaping of policy. We set out a long-term exploration of the intersection between spatial planning and housing policy in Portugal and focus on the Special Programme for Rehousing (Programa Especial de Realojamento, PER), a programme that has had changing roles (from a financial instrument to a core component of policies of urban regeneration) in connection with political and planning cultures changing in time and space. In this way, we provide evidence of the limited capacity of taxonomic and linear approaches to describe planning and housing systems undergoing processes of change and, conversely, show the potential of genealogical research.

Spatial planning and territorial governance in Southern Europe between economic crisis and austerity policies

“…By answering these questions, the aim of this article is to reflect on the significance of rapid processes of changeamid pressures of external actors, such as international creditorsfor the present and future of spatial planning principles, strategies and instruments. In line with recent critiques of the dominance of taxonomical approaches in existing comparative planning studies (see Tulumello et al 2018), we expect to enrich the understanding of policy change by focusing on the way spatial planning systems and territorial governance are shaped by a mix of internal conditions and cultures, and external pressures.…”

“…In this light, these attempts mayby replicating 'solutions' that were efficient in some contexts but that do not seem to have helped in preventing the generation of the preconditions for the economic crisisend up aggravating the very problems they intended to solve in the first place. This resonates squarely with recent calls for the need to overcome taxonomic and linear explanations of spatial planning evolution (Getimis 2012;Tulumello et al 2018). Second, Southern Europe seems to be also a prototypical space where European institutionsin amid austerity politics and with different participation of national governmentshave been able to test and implement spatial planning and territorial governance reforms.…”

Outcomes of Urban Requalification Under Neoliberalism: A Critical Appraisal of the SRU Model

“…In a context of low interest rates, the housing sector, as emphasised by Tulumello et al (2018), was conceived as "a productive sector". Disproportionate government investment in subsidised loans/mortgages and tax deductions led to an increasing rate of owner occupation that in 2011 peaked at 73%.…”

“I Don’t Have the Nerve to Tell These People That I Cannot Help Them!”: Vulnerability, Ethnography, and Good Intentions

“…Published on 7 May 1993 with a Decree-Law [2], and implemented during the subsequent two decades, the PER was launched by the XII Constitutional Government of Portugal. When it was enacted, the program was already an outdated housing program due to its inability to provide a thorough strategy of urban and regional development [3,4] and the sanitary discourse adopted regarding the rehoused population [5].…”

“…At the same time as these initiatives erupted, in places such as Quinta do Mocho, the subliminal goal of the PER Law Decree of acting upon the political subjectivity of residents following neoliberal demands [24], motivated each resident to incorporate and embody "policies, discourses, and practices that would 'free' an individual to govern (oneself)" [25] (p. 52). Unrestrained from their previous housing conditions, these individuals were meant to inhabit the new municipal houses and to upgrade 3 Taken from my field notes, this quote refers to an episode I observed and registered at HDP headquarters. Dona Angelina, the non-profit's president, whilst filling out a form to apply for funding for a psychosocial support project the institution intended to implement in the neighbourhood, was trying to find the right words in order to ensure its financing.…”