The politics of co-implementation and their potential in shaping egalitarian cities

Abstract

This paper contributes to the debate on co-production in planning theory and practice by examining the political agency of non-profit housing actors—here termed “alternative co-producers”—in building an egalitarian city. Drawing from theories of co-production, planning politics, democracy and governance, the paper introduces, theorizes and operationalizes the concept of “co-implementation” as the political moment in which egalitarian cities can be jointly shaped by public authorities, co-producers and the civil society. By egalitarian cities, we mean cities governed by a reinvented democratic arrangement that can better realize policy and planning goals in the direction of “housing for all.” To test the political agency of alternative co-producers in their role as plan co-implementers, the paper relies on empirical evidence from HousingNOLA; a 10-year strategy and implementation plan in post-Katrina New Orleans. By critically examining the politics of HousingNOLA during the first 3 years of its implementation (2015–2018), the paper reveals the political conditions and practices that have favored or hampered co-implementation in New Orleans and that have determined progress in realizing an egalitarian city.