'De in beton gegoten onwrikbaarheid van Hoog Catharijne': burgers, bestuurders en een projectontwikkelaar 1962-1973

This article examines the dynamics between a private developer, local administrators and citizens in the Dutch city of Utrecht during the construction of the privately initiated shopping and business centre ‘Hoog Catharijne’ (1962-1973). At the time of its conception virtually each and everyone praised this inner city redevelopment project, but by the late-1960s several protest groups came to the fore. Simultaneously the municipal executive wanted to offer its citizens joint decision making in spatial planning. These democratizing tendencies increasingly collided with the technocratic stance of the private developer involved. By systematically analyzing how this developer, local administrators and citizens positioned themselves in- and outside of the political arena, the growing democratic tensions in a period of rapid societal modernization will be investigated.