Abstract:
In the course of globalization, migration, and urbanization, the meaning of ‘citizenship’ undergoes a change, even though its normative core – that is, the human rights and the related duties – do not directly change. The present paper follows some possible transformations of citizenship which are directed to strengthening local ties. How and in which context does a local citizenship emerges? As is well known, Brazil is the only country, in which the right to the city is inscribed in the National Constitution. In light of the mentioned transformations, this article examines selected results of a research about citizens experiences in participatory procedures for urban planing proposals in Germany and Switzerland. Although such participatory forums are important for public opinion formation, it is clear that politics meaning decay in face of private interest, so that local citizenship might be questioned.
Keywords
Local citizenship; Public participation; Urban planing; Urban sociology