I
n How Cities Can Transform Democracy Ross Beveridge and Philippe Koch present a thought-provoking discussion on the renewal of democracy through an urban perspective, particularly at the forefront of planetary urbanisation.
In a highly charged political climate, the question raised by Ross Beveridge and Philippe Koch is especially relevant. While many studies contrast urban areas with rural ones, globalized cities with deindustrialized regions, and small and medium-sized white towns with large cosmopolitan cities, Ross Beveridge and Philippe Koch aim to explore commons.
At the intersection of classical work on democracy and the resurgence of global urbanization, the opening chapters offer a rich discussion of the fundamental concepts underpinning their reflection. Democracy, as argued in the book, is not viewed in terms of parties, governments, and states, but rather through the lens of political practices and everyday experiences. This analysis compels us to move beyond the institutional and sovereigntist interpretations of democracy, which are currently in crisis. Certainly, this book does not aim to address the growing resentment, political mistrust, and the rise of conservative or even extreme right-wing parties experienced by many democracies by reforming the State or its institutions, or by invoking the traditional Athenian city. Instead, the solution presented here lies in an urban perspective that seeks to create an "authentic arena for political life." This arena is inspired by the Athenian city but is built on the construction of commons that transcend spatial barriers.
Ambitious from a theoretical standpoint, the book draws on a vast array of literature. To outline the framework of a radical democracy shaped by urban life, it integrates Marxist and anarchist works along with the literature specific to democracy and urban spread. Building on previous works and experiments, such as urban social movements and municipal socialism, the authors push further, presenting radical democracy as a new horizon—radical because it operates outside the constraints of the state and local government.
The city, and by extension the urban environment, are arenas for struggle, where inequalities are experienced and where people become aware of their ability to take action. This perspective is part of an analysis that critiques the urban landscape, which, unlike Henri Lefebvre's idea of the city as an oeuvre, focuses on the inherent inequalities of the neoliberal urban fabric as the driving force for protest. The goal here is to achieve a 'radical' democracy by addressing the limits and impacts of neoliberal policies, particularly the increasing inequality, exclusion, and dispossession they cause. These issues drive the need for democratic action.
While the book is convincing on many levels, it could expand its scope by examining examples outside traditionally defined cities. Ross Beveridge and Philippe Koch's effort to connect the democratic project to urbanization as the main force behind political and democratic construction could be enriched by examples from rural areas. This would highlight the effects of urbanization beyond just the physical aspects. Additionally, it would bring attention to literature in anthropology and rural sociology that documents democratic organization in agrarian societies. Recently, several municipal elections in France have seen the emergence of so-called municipalist lists, many of which have been successful, particularly in highly urbanized rural areas. These cases demonstrate how urban experiences can foster the development of everyday democracy, based on action, empowerment, and the autonomy of local inhabitants.
The next four chapters are based on examples to build continuity between the authors’ project and existing forms of radical democracy. The book's contribution also shines in its recognition of the role of individual experiences in creating an urban democracy centered on the commons. This approach demands immense energy, especially against the powerful forces within the urban fabric. Housing struggles, like the mortgage protest platform in Barcelona, squats in Zurich, tenant collectives in Los Angeles, and the municipalization or re-socialization of housing in Berlin, demonstrate how small-group actions can create commons and resist the individualization of inequality's impacts, ultimately transforming both local and national policies.
Firmly rooted in the local community, the book shows the room for manoeuvre sometimes created by these actions, their ability to structure themselves in the interstices of power, and even in a real distancing from the national state or its local counterpart. Taking various examples of local political management (Preston, Cooperation Jackson, Barcelona en Comu Non-soverein Napoli), the authors analyse the way in which local democracy is always constructed in a tension between proximity and distance from institutional forms of democracy. Without minimising actions aimed at seizing power and integrating into institutions, the authors affirm their vision of a local democracy that is not locked into parties and bureaucracy, whether local or national.
However, as urbanization spreads and we talk about global urbanization, it's crucial to remember that the State remains a powerful force. In both the North and the South, authoritarian states or those with authoritarian practices attempt to suppress the people's voice and to hinder the demos. When groups organize and protest, they often face a heavy-handed authoritarian response. This authoritarian evolution can be observed even in societies that boast solid democratic institutions. We only need to think of the destruction of shantytowns and informal settlements, and the displacement and suffering of populations in cities such as Rabat, Gurajat and Mayotte. Faced with the violence of these situations, a plea for action may not be enough. While the State may not represent the democratic ideal above the city, as argued by the authors, it still wields significant power to coerce the city.
Throughout the book, the authors aim to create a discourse for a 'global' urban democracy that goes beyond the borders between North and South. Rejecting pre-established categories, they start with collective action as their foundation. Planetary urbanization connects different regions and creates mechanisms that produce inequalities and exclusion, prompting people everywhere to organize and fight for the 'common good.' This approach to democracy allows us to understand actions in both the North and the South. I can see how the struggle for the right to housing waged by residents' cooperatives in Vienna and squats in Zurich resonates with the struggles waged in the slums of Mumbai or self-built housing in Morocco, yet if we start from action, sometimes the response to injustice is primarily individual. How do the authors integrate the silent responses, those forms of bricolage that we observe in many southern countries, but which are increasingly found among the most precarious groups in northern countries?
This book provides a strong basis for reflection and, above all, constitutes a breath of urban hope in a state democracy crisis. By advocating a dynamic democracy, the book ends by taking the reader toward a significant call for dynamic urban governance. Urban spaces hold a pivotal role because they are arenas of conflict and complexity. The spectrum of political engagement, from the mass critical to form riots and more advanced forms of self-management, shows how the experience of the city empowers all those who make it up. Even the most “fugitive” forms of democracy teach people to organize, engage with mechanisms, avoid isolation, and foster common goals. In a time of numerous crises, the authors propose an active form of democracy that centers on empowering citizens and fostering collective action. If urban structures are marked by inequality and conflict, then the renewal of democracy must draw strength from these challenges.
Maryame Amarouche is an Associate Professor of Spatial Planning and Urban Development at the University Jean Moulin Lyon 3. Her research focuses on planning and urban policies in peripheral areas. Using a comparative approach between the North and South and a multidisciplinary approach involving geography, urban planning and political science, she examines the urban fabric from the angle of social and spatial issues, metropolisation, housing production, segregation and access to public services. Maryame holds a Ph.D. in geography and urban planning.
