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

Community spaces are central to the democratic and social life of cities across the world. They are physical places, beyond the realm of home and work, that provide a platform for practices of community building and civic engagement (Klinenberg, 2018; Oldenburg, 1999). They invite people into urban life by fostering contact, collaboration and a sense of belonging. Moreover, they can be sites for civic engagement and political organizing ( Parkinson, 2012).

As cities have re-established themselves as strategic sites for capital accumulation, community spaces are increasingly under pressure of marketization and financialization. Within this context, new arrangements for governing community spaces emerge, typically blurring the distinction between public and private space (Dunlop et al., 2023). Entrepreneurial local governments are increasingly working together with private and/or civil actors to govern community spaces (Langstraat & Van Melik, 2013). This has led to discussions about the effects of these new arrangements on the accessibility and inclusiveness of these spaces.

This session aims to discuss contemporary dynamics of governing community spaces in cities under pressure of market forces. We are interested in empirical and theoretical analyses that discuss challenges for existing and opportunities for new governance arrangements. Which shifts in the financing, provisioning, decision-making and regulation of community spaces can be observed? Which new partnerships between public, private and civic actors emerge to govern community spaces? What does this mean for community building and civic engagement in cities? Do these changes threaten or improve the accessibility and inclusiveness of these places?