Tiers Lieux And Wijkhubs: infrastructures for a "Situated Democracy" ?

Abstract

To accelerate the transitions needed to alter current economic and cultural destructive patterns, our social, organisational and democratic structures have to be adapted, which includes a more profound collaboration between public institutions, private actors and citizens. French national and territorial institutions in Marseille and municipal councils in Rotterdam are, each in their own way, introducing and empowering new physical spaces (Tier Lieux and Wijkhub) with the intention to facilitate conditions that enhance active citizenship. In this research we critically analyse both attempts in order to see if these initiatives can be regarded as a form of "external and contextual" Situated Democracy; These places should have the potential to make a contribution towards new forms of situated citizenship, truly transformative based on its multi-scalarity, involving a specific mixite of publics and communities and accessible to the majority.