From fragmentation to framework: Negotiating urban definitions

Abstract

This article starts from the premise that purposefully working toward shared urban definitions can foster constructive dialogue across geographical and disciplinary boundaries. Yet, the process of standardisation is inherently power-laden and requires difficult work to navigate tensions between simplicity and diversity. Drawing on a qualitative interview study, we explore how an urban standardisation effort can be organised in practice: what the role of different stakeholders is and how different forms of diversity are negotiated. To do so, we employ the revision of a subclass in the Degree of Urbanisation (DEGURBA) definition as a case study. Our findings suggest that standardisation not only involves balancing simplicity and diversity but also navigates a trade-off between open deliberation and practical feasibility. We argue that DEGURBA’s approach, where one stakeholder group establishes the overarching framework and the input of other stakeholder groups is elicited for fine-tuning, presents a pragmatic way to foster participation while maintaining feasibility. However, we also contend that prioritising open deliberation could be a valuable alternative pathway, even when such an effort would not lead to a standard definition. In that case, it is not the standard itself, but the process leading up to it that could guide productive discourse on the urban.