Politics of Expertise

Abstract

This research assesses how professional expertise is constructed and deployed by public and private sector practitioners. In-depth case studies of urban design projects in two cities with differing local government capacities are used to critically examine professional expertise. The study finds that the expertise of consultants was portrayed as more creative and innovative, less constrained by bureaucratic and political contexts, and more knowledgeable of market conditions. In contrast, descriptions of public employee expertise often focused on regulatory knowledge. This study analyzes the relationship between limited public sector capacity and these constructions of expertise—and the implications for professional practices.

Conceptualising ‘street-level’ urban design governance in Scotland

“…This perception of common values aligns with research showing that consultants tend to be viewed – perhaps uncritically – as an objective source of external expertise (Linovski, 2015; Parker et al, 2018). WDC expects its panellists to be ‘impartial and independent’ (WDC, 2019b: 24), reflecting established guidance on design review from the Design Council (2013, cited in WDC, 2019a: 29).…”

‘We need to put what we do in my dad’s language, in pounds, shillings and pence’: Commercialisation and the reshaping of public-sector planning in England

“…By positioning commercialisation as a distinctive extension of the longer run emergence of the ‘delivery state’, we have shown the particular contemporary configuration of these trends in England, but they also have wider resonance. The casting of planning as a barrier to economic growth and its consequent reimagination as a means of enabling development have been widely felt in numerous locations (Linovski, 2017; Taşan-Kok and Van Den Hurk, 2019; Zanotto, 2019). The delivery state emerges from the confluence of neoliberal and managerial pressures to limit the scope of public sector planning, producing technically circumscribed and depoliticised forms of planning, suspicious of practices which cannot be valued through performance management regimes (Raco and Savini, 2019).…”

Why Does Planning Matter in Microclimate Management and Urban Heat Mitigation?

“…First, a comprehensive vision incorporating climate-related values such as heat is essential. In a situation where local governments have limited human resources, hiring expert consultants can be helpful, as Linovski (2016) points out. Second, a fine-scale code to regulate design, form, and use—something beyond Euclidean zoning that translates visions and goals into regulations—is needed.…”

“…For example, walkability and livability both stress relevant factors such as shade, continuous building frontage, and less surface parking lots (Ewing and Handy 2009; Lo 2009). Notably, literature also shows that visions may be more robust when public and private partners work together (Linovski 2016).…”