5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

Local governments and urban institutions may make decisions that affect people’s everyday lives, and these institutions have wide discretion to adopt rather controversial decisions regarding public spaces. In addition, the urban planning process is often growth-oriented and characterized by the formal participation of local communities. It implies that the preferences and needs of local communities are frequently ignored.

Most scientists agree that organized residents can influence the decisions of local governments and urban institutions by making claims or protesting. However, not all residents are well organized. Even some residents cannot understand the long-term value of public and green spaces for a local community and a city. Urban communities vary in the degree to which they engage in collective action around public spaces.

We invite submissions from various theoretical perspectives and use a variety of methodologies to discuss urban residents' self-organization, repertoires of action, and their impact on local government and institutions. In particular, we are interested in the following themes: How are communities mobilized around shared interest? What is the role of social media in mobilization efforts? What are the factors that facilitated or hinter community organizing? What is the role of social capital and trust in building solidarity in an urban environment? What is the role of the local community's infrastructure? How do structural inequalities and social hierarchies shape the dynamics of collective action?