Abstracts
Abstract
The focus of this article is on the institutional dimension of urban dynamics, particularly on the twin processes of capitalization – defined as the transformation of a place into a capital city – and decentralization. We observe that they co-exist in several urban contexts. A study was conducted addressing the inherent level of sustainability for each configuration produced by the dynamics. This hypothesis was tested by performing a mental experiment to assess the consequences of the prevalence of one dynamic over the other. To do so, a case study was undertaken on two Italian Alpine cities – Turin and Bolzano – in order to empirically ground the experiment and compare the two conceptual models. From our analysis, both extreme centralization and decentralization seem unsustainable. The broader policy implications are clear: urban institutions must seek to control these processes by avoiding the extremes and mitigating their impacts.
Keywords:
- Urban institutions,
- sustainability,
- capitalization,
- decentralization,
- Alpine cities
Résumé
L’objet de cet article, qui s’appuie sur une étude comparative des processus de capitalisation – compris comme la transformation d’une localité en chef-lieu – et de décentralisation, porte sur la dimension institutionnelle des dynamiques urbaines. Observée dans plusieurs contextes urbains, la concomitance de ces deux processus nous conduit à nous interroger sur le degré de durabilité des configurations spécifiques générées par ces dynamiques. Une exploration mentale des conséquences potentielles de la prédominance de l’une sur l’autre a été menée afin de vérifier cette hypothèse. À partir d’une étude de cas réalisée sur deux villes alpines italiennes – Turin et Bolzano – nous avons recueilli des données empiriques et établi une comparaison entre les deux cadres théoriques. Les résultats des analyses montrent que les processus de capitalisation et de décentralisation trop extrêmes ne favorisent pas la durabilité. Par conséquent, des mesures politiques doivent être prises par les institutions urbaines pour parvenir à contrôler ces processus de sorte à éviter les extrêmes et réduire les problèmes qu’ils entraînent.
Mots-clés :
- Institutions urbaines,
- durabilité,
- capitalisation,
- décentralisation,
- villes alpines
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Appendices
Acknowledgements
This research was partially conducted while Jon Marco Church was a Ruffolo Fellow in the Sustainability Science Program at Harvard University’s Center for International Development. Support of CID and the Italian Ministry for Land, Environment and Sea is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would also like to acknowledge the constructive comments of the anonymous reviewers, to whom they would like to express their sincere gratitude.
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