Polarisation threatens the transformative capacity of cities at a time when collective plans for a more sustainable and resilient urban future are needed. The typical answer to polarisation has been to strengthen consensus building among stakeholders, but such approaches are known to lead to alienation, tensions with existing democratic institutions, and an increasing gap with legal practice. CONTRA explores how institutionalising productive conflict can increase the transformative capacity needed in the transition towards more sustainable cities. Through a comparative study of urban planning law and practices focused on climate transition in 4 countries (Belgium; Netherlands; Norway and Poland), we study how conflict is handled and investigate the connection with political and legal institutions to determine whether conflict is suppressed or actively used for sustainable transformation. We also test new ways to handle conflict. CONTRA pioneers a new model of living labs (Drama Labs) that uses theatre-based methods to experiment with productive conflict. Combining empirical investigations with action research through the Drama Labs, CONTRA responds to topic 2 and 3 of the call by building capacities for urban transformation grounded in urban liveability, inclusivity, and active community engagement, as well as improving non-physical infrastructure such as governance and regulatory processes.

Project results summary (tentative)

Participatory processes in urban areas across Europe are often consensus-driven. This focus on consensus tends to sideline conflict, glossing over differing opinions, interests, and values. As a result, the political potential of conflict to strengthen democracy is lost. The CONTRA project examines how conflict can be taken seriously and integrated into urban planning processes.
The research seeks to enhance the resilience of cities by giving conflict its proper place in political deliberation on contentious topics. Recognizing that it is a challenge to build capacities for urban transformation that are grounded in urban liveability, inclusivity and active community engagement, the CONTRA project combines research with theatre-based interventions (Drama Labs) that promote social and political participation as well as inclusivity.

The study compares four potential conflicts related to climate change policy across four European cities, each conflict being situated within a distinct institutional context. Researchers analyzed these contexts, conducted interviews with residents and stakeholders, observed participatory processes, and analyzed the legal frameworks surrounding these processes. Based on this research, and together with theatre makers, they designed and organized theatrical interventions called Drama Labs. Rather than focusing on the creation of consensus, Drama Labs focused on harnessing and exploring conflicting perspectives to enrich the dialogue in contentious planning processes.

In our research, we engaged in both interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations, working with public administration scholars, legal scholars, and arts scholars, as well as theatre makers and municipal partners. Through these collaborations, we gained valuable insights into how different disciplines and fields interact, complement each other, and at times, encounter friction. For example, in having legal scholars collaborate with social scientists, we tackled the challenge of making the “shadow of the law” visible, as legal frameworks shape policy conflicts even when the law is not explicitly referred to . Municipal partners offered valuable insights into the practical challenges they faced in their cities while collaboration with theatre makers was essential in developing the artistic interventions at the core of our Drama Labs. However, differing constraints posed challenges: municipal policy agendas are flexible, whereas theatre schedules are fixed, limiting adaptability when policy processes shift. Tensions also arose regarding research and artistic roles. Should researchers contribute artistically? Can theatre makers collect their own data? With partners holding distinct objectives—municipalities seeking actionable insights, researchers prioritizing academic rigor, and theatre makers focusing on creativity—balancing expectations required negotiation. Another challenge was managing expectations for Drama Labs, which do not produce fixed outcomes but create spaces for dialogue.

However, participants often expected concrete results, raising questions about integrating artistic insights into policy.
While we are still in the progress of comparing international findings , some results have already been published. We will discuss these, while also briefly discussing insights that are still under development. Firstly, we have explored the limitations of Urban Living Labs (ULLs) in fostering inclusive urban experimentation (Sachs Olsen and van Hulst, 2023). While ULLs aim to create collaborative spaces for innovation, they often reinforce existing power structures by prioritizing solution-oriented approaches that favor dominant stakeholders. We introduced the Urban Drama Lab (UDL) as an alternative model, integrating theatrical principles to scrutinize the ways in which stakeholders, issues and interests are represented performed in Urban Living Labs. By emphasizing the staged nature of participation, the UDL reveals how different voices are included or excluded, making visible the power dynamics that shape urban conflicts.
Secondly, by applying a dramaturgical lens to urban policy making, we examined how the performances, staging practices, and scenography of public participation influence policy conflicts (De Roeck and Van Dooren, 2024). Elements such as staging cues, physical settings, and role assignments significantly impact whose perspectives are legitimized and whose voices are heard . The study analyzes two contentious urban projects and shows how the performative aspects of public participation can either narrow or expand the space for dissent, ensuring a certain dramaturgical discipline during moments of participation. Understanding these micro-mechanisms is essential for a more inclusive and equitable urban transformation policy.

Thirdly, we have translated our insights into a practical framework for municipalities and urban governance actors. The Drama Labs Toolbox provides concrete methods for using theatre-based tools to enhance stakeholder engagement in urban development processes. Unlike traditional participatory methods, Drama Labs emphasize embodied learning, role-playing, and storytelling to facilitate deeper understanding of conflicts, power relations, and future possibilities. By encouraging stakeholders to step into each other’s roles, Drama Labs enable more equitable and imaginative urban planning. While cautioning against a one-size-fits-all approach—emphasizing that the success of Drama Labs hinges on their integration into local contexts and meaningful artistic engagement—the toolbox provides guidance on designing, implementing, and embedding Drama Labs within governance structures, ensuring that participation transcends technical problem-solving and fosters a more creative and inclusive dialogue.

Various articles are underway that present additional insights. For example, in one of these articles we examine the legal frameworks surrounding the four conflicts in which the Drama Labs were embedded and compare them to each other in terms of the flexibility of planning processes and the types of dialogues they facilitate. A second article analyzes the functioning of Drama Labs across four different countries, exploring how they can help urban planning better accommodate conflict in contentious urban settings. A third article focuses on the role of particular ‘intermediaries’ within local government (e.g. democratic innovation manager, urban lab, project manager, department, local officials), who can be instrumental in facilitating and embedding the Drama Lab within planning processes. Finally, we explore the ways in which conflicts are opened up or narrowed down by the ways in which policy-makers label the emotional states of citizens, for example by seeing them as “not caring”, thereby distancing these citizens from the decision-making process.

References

De Roeck, L., & Van Dooren, W. (2024). Performing policy conflict: A dramaturgical analysis of public participation in contentious urban planning projects. Policy Sciences, 57(761–785). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-024-09549-2
Sachs Olsen, C., & van Hulst, M. (2023). Reimagining urban living labs: Enter the Urban Drama Lab. Urban Studies, 61(6), 991–1012. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980231187771
Sachs Olsen, C., Janas, K., De Roeck, L., Koole, B., van Hulst, M., Arnoldussen, T., Janssen, C., & Wolf, E. (2024). Toolbox for conducting Drama Labs in urban development. Tilburg University.