Eventful policies, public spaces and neoliberal citizenship: Lessons from Glasgow: Fid-Bau Portal

Eventful policies, public spaces and neoliberal citizenship: Lessons from Glasgow

Guillard, Séverin / McGillivray, David

Abstract Over the last three decades, festivals and events staged in public spaces have been an important element in the neoliberal regeneration of cities. However, so-called festivalisation strategies have been subject to criticism for their focus on economic imperatives to the detriment of the lives of urban residents. In many cities of the Global North, in particular, these debates have been accompanied by increasing calls for forms of urban governance that give more weight to local democratic processes and practices. This paper analyses these debates, focusing on the Scottish city of Glasgow, where the staging of festivals and events has long been a key factor in the city's rebranding. In recent years, city leaders have created processes designed to ensure that the voices of local people are heard. We analyse to what extent this turn towards more inclusive rhetoric is translated into practice when policy and planning processes are still governed by economic growth logics. We show how citizen participation and engagement processes to consult residents about the use of public spaces for festivals and events reinforce narratives of neoliberal citizenship, primarily acting to assimilate and neutralize opposition, rather than sharing power and decision-making with local citizens. The implementation of these policies in Glasgow represents an emblematic illustration of the neoliberal governance logics which prevent the local state from granting an increased role to citizens and local organizations, particularly in cities of the Global North. However, we conclude by highlighting some potentially fruitful new avenues to support greater transparency and accountability in public space governance.

Highlights • In many cities, the use of festivalisation strategies has been criticized for being overly focused on economic imperatives. • As the case of Glasgow illustrates, some cities have reframed their event policies to put more emphasis on local citizens. • Despite a change in rhetoric, new policy commitments merely extend neoliberal urban logics to the realm of citizenship. • To counter neoliberal logics, inclusive urban policies should contain significant reflection on the distribution of power.