Presentation short abstract

A municipalism-inspired, citizen-led council reshaped urban planning through radical participation—both grassroots and institutionalised—challenging growth dependency while navigating tensions between ecological ambition, democratic inclusion, and bureaucratic resistance.

Presentation long abstract

The French municipality of Saillans (pop. 1,300) is often cited as a pioneering example of citizen-led municipalism, though its implementation only partially aligned with theoretical frameworks. This case study examines how grassroots democracy can challenge growth dependencies in local policymaking, focusing on the revision of the Local Urban Plan (PLU)—a legally binding framework for housing, mobility, and land use. The research adopts a transdisciplinary approach, with the author serving as both researcher and elected official.

Saillans combined institutional governance with grassroots mobilization, resembling a dual-power strategy. The PLU revision process, spanning three years, engaged roughly one-third of residents through public workshops, randomly selected citizen panels, do-ocracy groups, and reflexive monitoring. The goal was to co-produce a PLU aligned with post-growth principles, democratizing decision-making while advancing ecological planning.

The results highlight both achievements and persistent tensions. While the PLU successfully limited urban sprawl and promoted ecological housing, the process faced internal conflicts—stemming from competing visions of democracy—and external constraints, such as regulatory frameworks, bureaucratic inertia, and opposition from landowners. These challenges exposed divergent understandings of citizenship, ranging from representative duty to deliberative participation, as well as tensions between lifestyle changes and property rights.

Theoretically, Saillans illustrates how municipalist-inspired practices can challenge growth dependency through direct democracy. However, it also reveals their vulnerability to multi-scalar resistance, including political, cultural, economic, and bureaucratic barriers. The experiment ultimately underscores the delicate balance between inclusion, ecological ambition and community cohesion.