Editorial introduction

  • It was with pleasure that I accepted the invitation to be guest editor of volume 9 of plaNext. This publishing initiative of AESOP Young Academics Network, almost reaching a dozen, has an already remarkable amount of knowledge produced and shared, fulfilling the aim based on the strategic vectors referred by Francesco Lo Piccolo in the editorial of the first volume of plaNext: to make Young Academics’ research products more visible; to bring together young academics from Europe and beyond, sharing new research perspectives, intersecting planning with other academic fields; and to combine...

Research article

  • This commentary proposes a methodological approach about policy analysis on autonomous driving. It focuses on the role of discourse, the multiple actors and technologies involved in the processes of urban policy-making. Autonomous driving is considered a crucial case of policy-making in cities, because of the multitude of established and new actors involved as well as the combination of different digitalisation and automation technologies. Current research outlines the uncertainty planners and policymakers find themselves in regarding how to plan and regulate for autonomous driving, and...

  • Culture and planning have often been connected through issues of culture-led urban development and regeneration or cultural and creative industries. However, cultural provision as a form of social infrastructure has rarely been used to understand the institutionalization of culture within planning practices. I claim that how culture is institutionalized through discursive interactions between different agents reveals the importance of culture for planning practices. I exemplify this notion by analysing the discursive institutionalization of culture within strategic planning in Vienna....

  • Relational approaches to urban development have gained ground in academic literature, highlighting diverse perspectives, such as experience, participation, aesthetics, performativity and affection. However, these practices neglect conversation as a connection between local everyday life and urban development. We argue that as art generally provokes discussion, material art acquires potential to question urban development and thus, act as a conversation mediator in public space. To test the hypothesis, we organised an explorative action research study: a data art installation within the...

  • The current migration flows toward Europe are having a significant impact on social composition, economy, urban services, and on the physical dimensions of cities. Cities have a key role in developing immigration policies and sustainable accommodation models, that can promote an inclusive society as well as local development. Due to the persistence of migratory flows, these models of integration and development cannot be supported by an emergency condition, but they should be based on systematic strategies. This paper presents a series of accommodation models and urban policies, coming...

  • This paper explores the socio-economic and cultural transitions of Bozcaada, a small Turkish island in northern Aegean Sea, with a focus on seasonal changes. The local economy of the island has shifted from small-scale viniculture to domestic tourism over the last three decades. Currently, the local economy became dominated by domestic tourism businesses. Alongside this major change, the socio-cultural structure of the island has started to change with in-migration of middle-class urbanites. Although tourism enabled the local population to remain in the location in the light of the...

  • Civic engagement in decision-making concerning the built environment has become a widely acknowledged practice. Today this is no longer about the dilemma of civic engagement, but rather about the best strategy for the purpose. Games and gamified applications are gaining popularity as efficient tools for civic engagement, which attract and retain participants, as well as foster learning and experimentation. The article presents the case of a role-play urban design game, Participation Game, which was developed in the iterative design process. The initial prototype of the game was...