Social Democracy and Urban Politics

Social democratic parties struggle to appeal to a divided electorate. Particularly prescient is the clash between working-class voters that are socially conservative and middle-class voters who are liberally inclined but economically left. Are politics and policies that appeal to both even a possibility? Nowhere is that debate more acute than in European cities, yet in no other political space are answers more likely to be found. Where urban voters turn left, they are increasingly attracted by radical and green alternatives to social democracy. Social democracy and urban politics delves into the changing relationship between these three party families on the urban scene. Mapping electoral geography, governing strategies and the interface between parties and social movements on the left, the authors reflect upon the formation and dilemmas of a broader progressive alliance.