‘Guerrilla’ action rises as urban infrastructure problems increase
More citizens are taking direct action to solve neighbourhood problems - when local government cannot or will not act
More citizens are taking direct action to solve neighbourhood problems - when local government cannot or will not act
Citizens' direct action is increasing
Concerned citizens taking ‘guerrilla’ action to tackle problems in their communities may become increasingly common across the Global North as urban government faces dwindling resources, a new study reveals.
‘Urban patching’ sees residents responding directly to perceived or actual ruptures in local infrastructure - potentially an untapped resource of local people who can help to co-produce solutions to infrastructure problems in their neighbourhood.
Austerity and decreasing state resources in developed market economies has led to citizen ‘end-users’ starting to step into the breach and creating solutions – some of which may challenge the traditional responsibilities of local government.
Public service cuts and local government inability to respond rapidly to community concerns – combined with a feeling that people’s needs are not being listened to – can result in citizens taking ‘guerrila’ action to tackle local infrastructure issues.
Publishing their findings in Urban Studies, researchers from the University of Birmingham and University College London say that citizen intervention could become part of an urban governance toolkit operating hand-in-hand with public service provision.
Professor John Bryson, Chair in Enterprise and Economic Geography at the University of Birmingham, commented: “Public service cuts and local government inability to respond rapidly to community concerns – combined with a feeling that people’s needs are not being listened to – can result in citizens taking ‘guerrilla’ action to tackle local infrastructure issues.
“In an era of heightened social media activity, local governance settlements may start to unravel further as residents work together to tackle pressing community concerns – action which officials and policymakers may initially regard as illegitimate and unwelcome.”
The researchers note that urban patching can be unevenly distributed, even across a single city, but often reflects a belief that urban government is failing to recognise, understand or listen to residents’ concerns. However, once accepted, urban patching activities can become part of local government’s toolkit to serve public need.
Their research is based on data collected in Birmingham (UK) between 2017 and 2021 -uncovering a range of urban patching examples. Birmingham was selected as a case study, following an independent review of its City Council in 2014, which found it was not ‘getting the basics right’ and ‘did not understand what was happening in its communities’.
Like most local authorities in the UK under austerity, the City Council experienced a significant reduction in government funding between 2010 and 2016 - leading to cuts in numbers of full-time employees and outsourcing of roles.
Localised problems, identified by residents, motivated citizens to develop their own solutions to infrastructure problems. Examples cited in the study include:
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‘Urban infrastructure patching: Citizen-led solutions to infrastructure ruptures’ - John R Bryson, Chloe Billing, Mark Tewdwr-Jones is published in Urban Studies.