Urban Development on the Basis of Autonomy: A Politico-philosophical and Ethical Framework for Urban Planning and Management

Urban development is seen in this paper as the process of achieving more social justice in the city through changes both in social relations and in spatiality. Autonomy, in the sense used by Cornelius Castoriadis, is here regarded as the main parameter for the evaluation of processes and strategies for positive social change. Nevertheless, the Castoriadian philosophical notion of autonomy must first be made operational before it can be reasonably applied in empirical research or policy evaluations. The aim of the paper is to contribute to this operationalisation, specifically considering the role of urban planning and management in the realisation of urban development.