METREX and the Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM) are pleased to present “In defence of democracy … EUROPE NEEDS AN URBAN RESET“, an essay by Prof. Dr. Eric Corijn, Free University Brussels.
We consider it essential to continuously underscore the relevance of urban and metropolitan democracy, particularly within the context of the ongoing European integration process. As metropolitan regions increasingly serve as key arenas where urban and rural dynamics intersect, it is imperative to reflect on how democratic participation can be sustained and strengthened in these complex territorial frameworks. This essay seeks to contribute to the evolving discourse on democratic governance at the metropolitan level, and we hope it will serve as a meaningful input to the broader debate on how to maintain and enhance citizen engagement across Europe’s diverse regions.
Abstract
The argument developed in this essay proposes a critical review of the history of the making of Europe as the creator of a European world system and the idea of the national state.That global frame determined the European unification project as a market driven intergovernmental collaboration maintaining politics and culture as an exclusive national domain.
Geopolitics, new conservative nationalism and the authoritarian temptation put the European unification project at risk.
This peculiar history of the building of the European Union overshadowed different structural elements omitted in the narrative. Renaissance and the Enlightenment were basically products of the post medieval development of relatively autonomous cities,city states and an urban bourgeoisie that eventually took over leadership from the nobility and the clergy. Urbanity produced the ideas of freedom, equality and citizenship. They were later “nationalized” in the making of the nation states, relegating cities to “localities” in the country. Nationality repressed urbanity. Nationality installed the story of a common history, producing tradition and identity, legitimizing representative democracy within national borders. Sameness and community were identified within very diverse national territories.
Most of humanity lives now in cities. Cities are caught in the post-industrial transition. Their hinterland is networked in the space of flows. Their population becomes multiethnic, multicultural and multireligious. National socializing models become outdated and dysfunctional. Rethinking Europe as networks of cities and metropolitan regions allows to deepen the idea of “Europeanness” as a way of living together respecting difference and diversity. An urban democracy.
The Essay is available for Download in PDF: In defence of democracy … EUROPE NEEDS AN URBAN RESET
