Talk to the hand: strategic spatial planning as persuasive storytelling of the Loop City^*

* Thanks to the anonymous reviewer for suggesting this title.

ABSTRACT

The paper analyses how the spatial vision of the Loop City for the Øresund Region has played an important persuasive role in legitimizing and mobilizing local and national political support for a light rail link along the outer ring road in the Greater Copenhagen Area. The paper discusses the persuasive power of spatial concepts and supportive storylines in bringing transport infrastructure projects onto the national policy agenda. In conclusion, the paper calls for critical attention to the rationalities underpinning practices of persuasive storytelling in contemporary strategic spatial planning.

KEYWORDS:

• Strategic spatial planning
• storytelling
• spatial concepts
• imaginaries
• agenda-setting

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

ORCID

Kristian Olesen http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1318-6807

Notes

* Thanks to the anonymous reviewer for suggesting this title.