Vancouver's "EcoDen ity" Planning Initiative: A Struggle over Hegemony

The proclaimed aim of EcoDensity, an initiative of the former mayor of Vancouver, Canada, was the achievement of a more sustainable city development through densification of existing neighbourhoods. Since the invention of EcoDensity in summer 2006 it has become a highly debated topic. This paper aim...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Urban studies (Edinburgh, Scotland) Scotland), 2013-08, Vol.50 (11), p.2238-2255
Main Author: Rosol, Marit
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acceptances
Canada
Cities
Development Strategies
Discourse Analysis
Hegemony
Inventions
Mayors
Reform
Sustainable Development
Urban Areas
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Summary:The proclaimed aim of EcoDensity, an initiative of the former mayor of Vancouver, Canada, was the achievement of a more sustainable city development through densification of existing neighbourhoods. Since the invention of EcoDensity in summer 2006 it has become a highly debated topic. This paper aims at a critical analysis of how a planning strategy of densification tried to tie itself onto a discourse of sustainability, and also how it had to re-invent and reform itself through contestation and public debate in order to gain acceptance. Thus, the development of the strategy and its contestation are the focus of this paper. Theoretically informed by the theory on hegemony by Laclau and Mouffe, the paper shows why EcoDensity has been-although eventually approved by Council-a failing hegemonic strategy. By referring to a theory on hegemony, the paper theoretically captures practices and struggles around a particular 'urban sustainability fix'. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0042-0980
DOI:10.1177/0042098013478233