Metropolitics

Resisting the Neoliberal City? The Popular Initiative in Berlin

Thomas Chevallier — 2023-02-17T06:00:00Z

Western representative democracy is in crisis. In response, direct democracy is emerging as a possible path to regeneration. The experience of “popular initiatives” in Germany illustrates the potential of the institutional innovations that support it, as well as the difficulties inherent in their implementation.
Are the instruments of direct democracy a necessary complement to representative democracy? Is it desirable to challenge the legislative monopoly of elected representatives by

- From the Field / démocratie, Allemagne, participation, libéralisme, Berlin, néolibéralisme, démocratie participative, démocratie directe, référendum, votation, initiative populaire

Montreal's Alleyways: A Laboratory for Democratic Life

Joëlle Zask & translated by Oliver Waine — 2021-02-12T06:00:00Z

The participation of a city's inhabitants in democratic life begins with forms of everyday sociability and commitment to the common good. The alleyways of Montreal—where communities of neighbors and citizens have developed—are an eloquent example of this.
There is a very specific, even emblematic, urban feature in Montreal: the alleyway. Hidden behind the row houses whose backyards they run along, they have been cleared, rebuilt, embellished, and greened by the residents of the neighborhoods

- From the Field / communauté, démocratie, voisinage, espace public, sociabilité, rue, quartier, politique, citoyenneté, proximité, débat, participation, Montréal, Canada