Sustainable Urban Development as Consensual Practice: Post-Politics in Freiburg, Germany

• Published in: Regional studies Vol. 50; no. 6; pp. 971 - 982
• Main Author: Mössner, Samuel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Routledge 01.06.2016; Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Après-politique; Cities; Consensual urban politics; Consensus building; Decision making; Desarrollo urbano sostenible; Développement urbain durable; Freiburg; Friburgo; Green city concept; Konsensuale Stadtpolitik; Nachhaltige Stadtentwicklung; Politics; Politique urbaine de consensus; Políticas urbanas de consenso; Pospolítica; Post-politics; Post-Politik; Regional development; Regional studies; Sustainability; Sustainable development; Sustainable urban development; Urban areas; Urban development; 可持续城市发展; 后政治; 城市共识政治; 弗莱堡; Germany
• ISSN: 0034-3404; 1360-0591
• DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2015.1102875

Mössner S. Sustainable urban development as consensual practice: post-politics in Freiburg, Germany, Regional Studies. This article starts with the premise that eco-cities are and reflect political processes. Consequently, eco-city models are not objective manuals to a more sustainable urban world, but depend from political context. Drawing on empirical insights from the sustainable urban development in Freiburg, Germany, this article first traces the political process of modelling urban sustainability, and then shows how consensus-building appears as a political strategy whose aim is to depoliticize sustainable urban development and to relocate political decisions made in this context outside societal debate. The article contributes to a perspective that highlights the political dimension of urban sustainability.