Platforms as Institutional Technologies in Urban E-Planning

Abstract

This chapter sheds light on the role of platformization in reshaping the premises and practices of urban e-planning in the context of a technologically advanced liberal and democratic society. Discussion focuses on urban platforms' embeddedness in institutional environment and their potential to democratize urban e-planning. Incorporating evidence from the case of the city of Helsinki, Finland, this research demonstrates how urban platforms increase pluralism, hybridity, and adhocracy in urban e-planning. This indicates how platforms, when appropriately designed and integrated into democratic system, may contribute to the renewal of democratic governance.