Czyje jest miasto? Balansowanie między współuczestnictwem a polifonią
Whose city? Balancing between participation and polyphony

Summary/Abstract: The article focuses on the issue of urban governance interpreted as the process of social communication. The conceptual basis of the analysis is the theory of social agency: from this perspective the participation phenomenon is seen as the “structuration” and dialectic relationship between the present structures (e.g. institutional local patterns, forms of participation, including tokenism) and the agents’ activity. Referring to the case of Krakow, the author shows how the idea of participation (participatory democracy) could be realised as simple articulation of various points of view and expectations of different urban communities. Thus, poliphony could be the consequence: a situation in which particular voices (expressed by local authorities, citizens, non-govermental organisations etc.), including voices of participation advocates, become separate, autonomous and not interrelated opinions.

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