theory

Thestudy of urban experiments in academia has an extensive pedigree, from the “right to the city” by Henri Lefebvre in his 1968 book ‘Le Droit à la ville’ to the more modern concepts of citizen-led planning. This review of academic literature, and associated case studies, examines how academic conceptualisations of urban experiments of citizen-led planning can influence and inform the evolving nature of the Association. The theory section is split into three domains, each lead by a different member of the Research Group: Fabian examines ‘intentional communities’ and how they form, Laura explores the concept of ‘insurgent planning’ in challenging traditional approaches, and Hamish compares the concepts of ‘self governance & self organisations’ in how urban experiments come together in the first place. Key pieces of literature in these domains, and interactions between them, are shown in Figure 9. The diagram notes how it is impossible to compartmentalise each domain and identifies synergies and interactions between them.