ELISABET VAN WYMEERSCH UNRAVELLING PROCESSES OF POLITICISATION AND DEPOLITICISATION Faculty of Design Sciences The Transformative Potential of Land use Conflicts Unravelling processes of politicisation and depoliticisation Thesis submitted for the degree of doctor in Urbanism and Spatial Planning at the University of Antwerp Antwerp, 2020 Elisabet Van Wymeersch Prof. Dr. Stijn Oosterlynck Prof. Dr. Thomas Vanoutrive Prof. Dr. Lara Schrijver (chair) Prof. Dr. Crystal Legacy Prof. Dr. Enrico Gualini Prof. Dr. Filip De Rynck Integral copying and distribution of this publication is permitted for non-commercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged. Other uses require the prior written permission of the author. Introduction 3 Social transformation and the political side of planning 7 A theoretical encounter with transformative planning literature 9 Research aim and question 15 Methodology 17 Introduction to the chapters 25 Bibliography 28 Introduction 35 Post-Foundationalism and the Relational Approach to the Political Difference 37 Emancipation as the Promise of Equality: A Rancièrean Approach to Political Difference 38 The Struggle at Ghent’s Landhuis: A Relational Approach 41 Conclusion 51 Bibliography 52 Introduction 57 Planning theory and social transformation 59 The transformative potentialities of the Oosterweel link road conflict 65 Conclusion 81 Bibliography 84 Introduction 91 Planning theory and democratic politics in citizen participation 94 Contentious participatory planning in a changing post-industrial neighbourhood: the case of the living area in Brugse Poort 100 The political ambivalences of participatory planning in Ghent’s Living streets 105 Alternative modes of subjectification? 115 Conclusion 119 Bibliography 122 Introduction 127 Ongoing threat in the Back of Port area 131 Sixty years of (de)politicisation in (settler-)colonial Clairwood: Race and class as fault lines 133 Conclusion 147 Bibliography 150 Introduction 159 Research question(s) and cases 163 The multiple meanings of social transformation, politicisation and depoliticisation 165 The transformative potential in the examined cases 171 Post-foundational political thinking and transformative planning 177 Further research 179 Concluding remarks 179 Bibliography 182 This PhD trajectory has brought some truly inspiring, educational and eye- opening encounters with a variety of people. All in their own way, they contributed to the accomplishment of this thesis, something I am sincerely grateful for. First of all, I wholeheartedly would like to thank my supervisors, Stijn Oosterlynck and Thomas Vanoutrive, for supporting me throughout this journey, giving me the space to explore my intellectual path independently, while always being there to assist with constructive feedback when needed. It is the cliché of PhD acknowledgements, but this doctoral thesis truly wouldn’t have been here without your support. My most genuine appreciation goes to the members of my committee and jury. To Lara Schrijver, for being the first (and still most important) role model I could look up to in our faculty. To Crystal Legacy, Enrico Gualini and Filip De Rynck, for inspiring me with their work. Crystal and Enrico I would like to thank in particular for allowing me to strengthen my findings during the conference tracks and seminars they organised on the topic. I thank Tom Coppens for stimulating me to start a PhD and guiding me throughout my first years. I am extremely grateful to my colleagues and ex-colleagues at the Faculty of Design Sciences and the CRESC research group of the University of Antwerp, for creating such an inspiring working environment. Thanks go especially to Kato Allaert, Jasmien De Smet, Selin Geerinckx, Nina De Jonghe, Stijn Rybels, Michelle Bylemans, Kaat Verdickt, Nina Serulus, Glenn Lyppens, Sigrid Heirman, Johan De Walsche, Paul Van Beek, Marjan Michels, Eva Storgaard, Inge Somers and Hendrik Van Geel. vii Two colleagues deserve a special mention. Menna Agha and Tine Poot have not only been the most supportive colleagues, both inspire and amaze me on a daily basis by being the strong, independent, intelligent and resilient women they are. I express my deepest gratitude towards all residents of Clairwood and Brugse Poort who were so kind as to share their experiences with me, and to all municipal employees and activists in Ghent, Antwerp and eThekwini who took the time to answer my questions. Tom Brouckaert, Sally Degraeve, Ruben De Buck and Johannes Degraeve I would like to thank for sharing insights on the Landhuis case with me. The same goes for Cedric Goossens who was so kind as to teach me about proper interviewing procedures and share his ideas on the Living Streets experiment in Brugse Poort. I am extremely grateful to Marthe Janssens, not only because she is the best friend one can wish for, but also for transcribing all interviews for my chapter on the Living Streets. Faith KaManzi I would like to thank for being a great companion and translator, standing me by when interviewing some residents of Clairwood. A special thanks goes to Patrick Bond for his hospitality in Durban, to Shauna Mottiar for accepting me as a visiting scholar at the Centre for Civil Society at the University of Kwazulu Natal, and to Desmond D’Sa, Joanna & Geraldine Groom and Shannon Leigh Landers for teaching me about South Durban activism. The research visit to South Africa was financed by EUROSA, and I thank them for their support. I have been blessed with a warm and loving family whose uplifting wit, exceptional ability to put things into perspective, incredible hospitality and resilience make me extremely grateful and proud to be part of this household. To my grandmother, my parents, Katrien, Sebastiaan, Anneleen, Grietkin and Jan- Frederik, thank you for all the love you give. Paul Van Wijmeersch I would like to thank to be my tower of strength every time I need someone to proofread texts. viii Many friends and relatives have made this journey more pleasant. The last years I have neglected some of you more than intended. I would like to mention in particular Marthe, Detlef, Lenie and Koen C. for being such kind-hearted, empathic and genuine companion. I am pretty sure this dissertation would never have been finished (or could have been finished earlier, who will tell) without the uplifting and stimulating distraction I found in Plan A and Elcker-Ik. I would like to thank Steven, Sarah, Ciska, Wouter, Wietse, Karolien, Dré, Stefaan, Yael, Jan and Koen W. for keeping me inspired throughout these last doctoral years. I learned a great deal from you when it comes to political engagement and activism, and I am eager to learn a great deal more in the future. Last but not least. Elias. There are many things which I am grateful for: your wit, your peacefulness, your eagerness to learn and share this with others. The essence, however, is this: Thank you for making ‘being happy’ such an easy thing to do. ix x This dissertation makes a critical inquiry into how land use conflicts contribute to social transformation and the relevance of these processes to urban and spatial planning theory. Arguing that often traditional planning theories neglect the role of conflict as a transformative force with an impact beyond the planning profession, the study examines the ways activists and non-professional planners challenge and change how we think about planning and the way land is or should be used, and as such contribute to social transformation. Drawing on post-foundational political thinkers such as Jacques Rancière and Chantal Mouffe, and engaging with contemporary transformative planning approaches such as collaborative planning and insurgent planning, this dissertation observes that different planning approaches apply multiple interpretations of social transformation, hence identifying other processes in land use conflicts to have politicising and depoliticising effects. The thesis describes three perspectives on social transformation. A first conceptualisation sees transformation as including multiple interests in the decision-making process (i.e., inclusion-oriented). A second interpretation understands transformation as changes in power relations through the struggle of counter-hegemonic movements (i.e., power-oriented), and the third interpretation links social transformation to the emergence of new political subjects that change the symbolic order of society (i.e., subjectification-oriented). xi By mobilising four cases –three in Belgium and a fourth in South Africa– and by unravelling the political dynamics that make social transformation possible or prevent it in these empirical cases, this research finds that working with all three interpretations of social transformation often offers the best understanding of the transformative processes at work in complex land use conflicts. Additionally, the dissertation argues that the transformative planning field benefits from exploring the diversity in both politicising and depoliticising processes in land use conflicts. This can be done by diversifying the contexts in which land use conflicts are studied. xii Een kritisch onderzoek naar de politiserende en depolitiserende processen in conflicten rond landgebruik en hun impact op maatschappelijke verandering In dit proefschrift bekijk ik hoe conflicten rond landgebruik kunnen bijdragen aan maatschappelijke verandering en onderzoek ik de relevantie van deze conflicten voor planningstheorie. De verhandeling start vanuit twee kritieken op traditionele planningstheorieën. Enerzijds