Self-Taught Citizen Planners: Influencing Planning Based on Self-managed Legal Knowledge

Abstract

In the context of the just city and the agenda of institutional democratization, recent research shows that specialized legal knowledge has deepened the gaps between regular citizens and experts, limiting participation. So far, studies have focused on the use of legal expertise by lawyers and expert elites to influence urban planning, without fully understanding the learning processes and the opportunities that expert knowledge may offer to everyday citizens. This article addresses that gap. In the absence of a more precise term, I propose referring to these individuals as self-taught citizen planners—citizens without formal training who acquire legal knowledge autonomously and use it to influence planning processes. Drawing on a qualitative study conducted in Bogotá, I examine how they engage with participatory invited spaces, grassroots educational initiatives, and get involved in public-interest projects and contracts, and how they mobilize this knowledge to claim the right to the city.