Spreading urban policies: Theoretical approaches

Abstract

The routine of cities acquiring development concepts, programs, and good (even “best”) practices from other localities might be inherited from the time of the earliest settlements. This process can even significantly impact the direction of the city’s improvement and their inhabitants’ life, depending on from where, which policies and to the influence of what kind of incentives are they adopted to the local development practice.

In many cases, these policies have been brought into existence in a social (economic, cultural, etc.) context, which remarkably differs from the one in the adapting cities. During their spread, the policies’ original meaning, philosophical background and aims could be significantly changed –unintentionally, or even deliberately to tailor the policy to the specific local situation. Because of that it is emphasised, that it is an adaptation process instead of simple copying. Frequently, the recipients grab from a complex package of measurements just one or a few elements. Because of its prevalence and immense impact, the phenomenon should be treated in a much conscious way. However, it only came to the attention of the geography researches as a separate concept after the turn of the millennium (urban policy mobilities).

There are various possible approaches and theoretical frameworks the process can be scrutinised in. This is highly influenced by the scientific background of the researchers dealing with the issue and which aspects of the phenomenon they focus on. The main goal of the paper is to present some research methods and theoretical concepts, which one can benefit from examining the transmission and adaptation process of the urban policies. After a brief definition of urban policies and a summary of their main characteristics, four approaches are introduced in detail: (1) spatial diffusion models, (2) communication models and spatial mobility of knowledge, (3) policy-setting theories and the policy cycle, and (4) urban policy mobilities. They are considered in a manner which underlines the most relevant opportunities and edifications in connection the spread process of the urban policies. Related to these approaches, the study negotiates topics as handling new policies as an innovation or a special kind of knowledge, how affects the various communication filters and the intentions of the actors, what importance can have the personal contact in the policy transmission process, which phases of the policy cycle is the most probable the acquisition of a policy in, and what effects has the acceleration of the policy-making process. Some major characteristics and outcomes of the relatively new research concept called urban policy mobilities are presented as well.