Procedural justice for whom? A case study of a densification project

Realising just and equitable pathways to urbanisation is a major challenge in urban research and practice. Environmental justice literature outlines approaches for just distribution and meaningful public participation by including and recognising different groups of residents. Despite institutionalised support for just procedures in urban planning, citizens do not necessarily perceive outcomes as just and inclusive. This paper aims to understand and critically examine procedural justice in the urban development process in a marginalised neighbourhood in Malmö, Sweden. We use the theories of procedural justice and communicative planning to provide a layered assessment of procedural justice. The overall findings show critical discrepancies between institutionalised and perceived justice. The legal guidelines are vague and lack consistency in implementation from the city’s point of view. This in turn weakens citizen influence in public participation. Additionally, this case reveals novel tensions in operationalising procedural justice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper concludes that even if there is a mandatory requirement for participation with affected groups of citizens, planners must represent various interests, and procedural justice is not being operationalised. Just development and transformation of the urban environment requires further unpacking of the interaction between the official, the applied, and the lived dimensions of procedural justice.