Urbanities,
Vol. 3
·
No 1
·
May 2013
© 2013
Urbanities
28
In this situation, the urban policies lose their effectiveness because they face a double
challenge: on the one hand, the need to keep the city at the forefront of an increasingly
globalized and competitive economy; on the other hand, the need to put an end to, and deal
with, the consequences of the present lag. However common to most urban contexts this
double challenge may be, in the case of Naples meeting it implies first of all for its political
and administrative system to fill the existing gap and modernize its material and non-material
infrastructure (above all through growth and investment in its human resources; Pardo 1996
and 2001). In order to meet this challenge, however, it is important to avoid the trap of
turning the existing conditions into a pretext for undermining urban transformation and the
search for innovative models of political and administrative action. How, then, can the city
break away from this situation and how can urban policies contribute to stimulate economic
development, combat social marginality and facilitate the participation of citizens in public
decisions? I will try to deal with these questions in the following pages.
In Search of Change: Making Use of Urban Policy
Before attempting to answer the questions that I have just raised, we need to review briefly
the policies undertaken in recent years by the local government in the attempt to overcome
the difficulties and the obstacles which frustrate local development. First, it must be noted
that for a long time – almost twenty years – left-wing parties have been in office. This long
period started in 1993 with the election of Antonio Bassolino as a mayor leading a new left-
wing administration and continues today with the election of Luigi De Magistris, the winner
of the last election held in 2010. The official political idea that has guided uninterruptedly
local governance over this period of time is based on the involvement and participation of
citizens in public life. What this means in practice is, however, not easy to explain. In brief, I
note that the use of citizens’ mobilization is primarily a political method and a way to create
legitimacy around the action of the city government (see also Pardo 2001 and Pardo and
Prato 2011). In this sense, the differences between the various City Councils that have
governed the city are minimal: all the programmes for the development of the city emphasize
the concept of citizens’ participation. Yet, comparing the first period of Bassolino’s term in
office to the most recent, under De Magistris, the relevance of social mobilization and
citizens’ participation appears to have declined. More precisely, in spite of the emphasis he
placed in his electoral campaign on wanting to spur citizens’ involvement, the present mayor
tends to decide on his own. The government of Antonio Bassolino lasted seven years, a
