Planning amid division: the politics of the public in Beirut

This event interrogates the normative foundations of progressive planning, particularly its assumption that participatory and co-productive practices can provide an adequate pathway toward inclusive planning responses. It does so against the backdrop of a global context in which the rise of right-wing populist politics has profoundly unsettled assumptions about a functional public. Once grounded in the belief in a shared or common interest, planning now operates within an increasingly fragmented political and epistemic landscape (Rivero et al., 2020). Populist discourses have deepened social divisions and eroded the legitimacy of any single actor—particularly the state—as custodian of the common good. In parallel, the dynamics of the post-truth era further complicate co-production by destabilising the authority of science, academia, and expert knowledge—the very foundations on which scholars and practitioners engage communities (Perry 2020). These intertwined political and epistemic ruptures expose the limits of consensus-driven planning practices, echoing Chantal Mouffe’s (2005) critique of the “post-political” denial of conflict and antagonism at the heart of democracy.

The talk examines these dynamics through a case study of a public intervention in Beirut, Lebanon, following the 2020 Port explosion. In this context, researchers and practitioners affiliated with the Beirut Urban Lab attempted to co-design a public square, directly confronting tensions between knowledge, politics, and representation in a polarised and post-truth environment. Drawing on this collective work, the presentation reflects on how co-production might be reimagined amid epistemic and political fragmentation, proposing pathways for reintegrating power, acknowledging conflict, and rethinking the notion of a fractured “public” within the democratic project of planning.

Please note this event has been over ticketed, registration does not guarantee entry and we advise you arrive in good time

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Host or Publisher LSE Sociology