Grass through concrete: Authoritarian governance and the urban politics of minimal change

Abstract

Urban development plays an increasingly strategic – and often symbolic – role in contemporary authoritarian governance. This article shows how adapting policies from similar regimes emerges as a low-risk strategy for authoritarian decision-makers, offering urban modernisation without political disruption. Through process tracing, the paper reconstructs the policymaking process behind the adoption of a Russian planning Standard in Kazakhstan. The initiative was driven not by elite exchanges, but by local policy entrepreneurs who successfully built coalitions with semi-official actors and framed the proposal in politically safe, technocratic terms. The case illustrates that such initiatives can gain state-level traction when they align with regime goals, pose no political risks, and avoid demands for democratic participation. The findings reveal how non-binding urban planning tools are used not to transform institutions, but to perform reform – signalling modernity and reinforcing authoritarian stability. As such, the Standard exemplifies how contemporary authoritarian practices prioritise demonstrative modernisation over substantive change, projecting not only competence, but also a stylised image of expert-led collaboration that reinforces rather than challenges elite control.