The Problematic Potential of Universities to Advance Critical Urban Politics

Abstract

Recent research has explored the connections between universities and the cities/places in which that are located. Increasingly, emphasis is placed on the economic role of the university and on universities as urban stabilizers that can mobilize investment and advance development goals. This article explores a different charge for the university: as a space for the advancement of critical urban politics. Drawing from our experiences teaching hybrid student/citizen courses on urban government and politics at a US university, we reflect on the challenges and opportunities associated with situating the university as an institutional agent in critical urban politics.

Keywords:

• Critical urban politics
• university as developer
• participatory action research

Notes

¹ While many of the trends identified in this article, such as the professionalization and commercialization of the university, have been experienced in universities around the world, our focus is specifically on the public university in the context of the USA.

² Private institutions of higher education likely face many of the same concerns, challenges and responsibilities as public institutions. However, as public universities were established through land grants and other forms of public financing specifically with the institutional mission to advance equal opportunity across the public as a whole (Dewey, 1991), we are here focused specifically on public universities.

³ LEED is green building certification system intended to verify the environmental quality and sensitivity of the materials and other resources used in building construction (USGBC, 2011).