Community‐based protest against construction projects: a case study of movement continuity

Abstract

Community‐based activism against proposed construction projects is growing. Many protests are poorly managed and escalate into long‐term and sometimes acrimonious disputes which damage communities, firms and the construction industry as a whole. Using a thematic storytelling approach which draws on ethnographic method, within a single case study framework, new insights into the social forces that shape and sustain community‐based protest against construction projects are provided. A conceptual model of protest movement continuity is presented which highlights the factors that sustain protest continuity over time. The model illustrates how social contagion leads to common community perceptions of development risk and opportunity, to a positive internalization of collective values and identity, to a strategic utilization of social capital and an awareness of the need to manage the emotional dynamics of protest through mechanisms such as symbolic artefacts.

Keywords:

• Protest
• construction project
• community relations
• contagion
• social networks

Acknowledgements

The funding for this research was provided by the RICS Foundation’s Richard Lay Scholarship and a UNSW International Postgraduate Award. We would also like to acknowledge the many members of the local community who participated in this research by recounting their stories of protest participation over time.