Planning the post-growth city: the urban-non-urban divide and the problematic position of the bioregion

Abstract

This paper problematizes the production and institutionalization of the urban-non-urban divide within growth-dependent economies by analyzing a highly contested development in the periphery of Amsterdam's city-region. Drawing insights from urban political ecology and bioregionalism, I argue that urban degrowth needs to overcome the urban-non-urban divide to localize value chains and envision a regional system of cooperation and sufficiency, embedded in the ecological conditions of a specific region. Decentralization and re-localization are considered key aspects of degrowth transitions to counter the adverse social and environmental consequences of globalization under capitalism (Latouche, 2009). Within urban degrowth scholarship, this concern has been addressed by discussing the most suitable spatial layout for post-growth cities (Xue, 2022). Current degrowth research, however, still maintains an urban-rural division. It either looks at practices of ‘rurbanization’, namely densification of rural areas, or at local practices within cities. In my paper, I argue that peripheries emerge as the new focal points of post-growth societies, where new structures and metabolic exchanges can form, and where growth-led development is contested. To this end, I explore the notion of bioregionalism from a degrowth perspective. Bioregionalism emphasizes the ecological and social significance of peripheries, while also fostering a reimagined cooperative relationship between urban centers and the natural environment (Fanfani et al., 2022). Bioregionalism thus helps conceptualize and understand urban-non-urban relations around care and sufficiency. I further argue that, to advance a degrowth perspective of the bioregion, we need to question the institutional and political dimensions of urban-non-urban relations. I explore a case study, the Lutkemeerpolder in Amsterdam, to illustrate the conflict between agroecological land use and business development/logistics in a peripheral area. Spanning 100 hectares on the outskirts of Amsterdam, between the city and the airport, the Lutkemeerpolder is the last fertile ground within city limits, serving as (organic) farmland since 1864, providing food, ecosystem services and recreational space. Over the past 20 years, however, the polder has transformed into a key logistics hub for the municipality and the airport, with distribution centers built to ensure the city’s economic growth. Despite contestation from various groups, contracts and regulations have rendered the development path-dependent. Tracing the project’s history, I show how the urban-non-urban divide is instituted in growth-oriented planning processes. This conflicts with alternative visions of peripheral space use that localize value chains and focus on the socio-ecological value of these spaces. The research contributes to the discourse on urban metabolism, growth dependencies, and the potential of bioregionalism in reshaping urban dynamics.

References

Fanfani, D., Duží, B., Mancino, M., Rovai, M. (2022) Multiple evaluation of urban and peri-urban agriculture and its relation to spatial planning: The case of Prato territory (Italy). Sustainable Cities and Society 79, 103636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.103636.

Latouche, S. (2009) Farewell to growth. Polity Press.

Xue, J. (2022) Urban planning and degrowth: A missing dialogue. Local Environment, 27 (4), 404-422. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2020.1867840.