Urban Spatial Conflicts in Novosibirsk: Studying General Dynamics

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2024.4.2520

Keywords:

urban conflicts, urban studies, urban sociology, right to the city, civic infrastructure, urban political regimes, civil society, infill development

Abstract

The article examines the processes of contestation of urban spaces in Novosibirsk over the past 18 years. Research methods: event analysis (more than 200 cases studied), analysis of media materials (more than 1000 news/analytical stories), and a series of in-depth interviews (n = 20). The history of urban spatial conflicts for the period under review is reconstructed in the context of the evolution of key “arenas” of conflict and “players”. It is noted that the frequency and intensity, thematic repertoire, and the nature of urban spatial conflicts change over time. About Novosibirsk, three periods have been identified in the observed history of contestation of urban spaces: the era of neoliberal “growth machines” (from the beginning of observation until 2014), the era of the “thaw” (2014―2020), the era of external shocks (2020 ― present). Civil society in Novosibirsk was actively developing, which contributed to an increase in the number of urban conflicts. As a result, their intensity increased so much that city managers were forced to respond to them by changing their interaction models with civil society. City authorities and developers are learning to respond quickly to local civic activity and reach compromise options (under Mayor A.E. Lokot, changes were made to the regulatory framework of urban planning policy in order to minimize “barbaric” development). However, interactions between city managers and local activists resemble a conceptual arms race. While solving some problems (for example, infill development), administrators face new ones. Citizens are becoming more demanding of urban space over time. Accordingly, despite external shocks that have somewhat muted urban spatial conflicts today, urban conflicts are predicted to remain one of the key problems of local politics.

 

Acknowledgments. The article was prepared within the RSF project No. 23-28-01828 “Urban conflicts and strategies for maintaining public consent: a comparative analysis”.

Author Biographies

Alexandr B. Belousov, Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

  • Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia
    • Cand. Sci. (Polit.), Senior Researcher

Dmitriy A. Davydov, Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

  • Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia
    • Cand. Sci. (Polit.), Senior Researcher at the Department of Philosophy

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Published

2024-09-10

How to Cite

Belousov А. Б., & Davydov Д. А. (2024). Urban Spatial Conflicts in Novosibirsk: Studying General Dynamics. Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes, (4). https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2024.4.2520

Issue

Section

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT