The Social Capital of Urban Activism Practices in London and Amsterdam

Practices of urban activism are increasingly viewed as a new form of engaged citizenship. Because of their insurgent and informal nature, however, these initiatives are at risk of marginalization from exclusionary urban policy processes. Employing the concept of social capital, this paper analyzes the internal organization of two activist communities and their capacity to connect with and influence public and formal institutions. Through a cross-national comparison of two case studies, we show that such groups are likely to achieve end goals when they feature selective membership, maintain a common purpose and identity, and make strategic use of intermediaries and experts to create bridges to external institutions and resources. We conclude by arguing that, today, urban activists face a fundamental trade-off between inclusiveness and instrumentalism.