Blog Post 1: Maintaining Employability in "The Projective City"

Boltanski and Chiapello’s (1999) term "the projective city” heavily relies on the ability of actors to maintain employability, specifically described as “the capacity people must be equipped with if they are to be called upon for projects” (p. 93). Therefore, in order for actors to maintain this competence and increase one’s employability, the objective becomes to take on as many projects as necessary (or as desired), always being prepared for the demands each project entails.  However, meeting these demands does not simply mean having access to the financial and material resources necessary for each project. Instead, suggesting that one requires the ‘capacity’, also demands that actors are able to truly understand the possibilities, implications, and risks of the project relative to the time and place. 

Mallon’s discussion at Communitech is certainly indicative of Boltanski and Chiapello’s (1999) term “the projective-city”. Namely, Mallon argues that that successful organizations celebrate employees who take risks, something necessary for the performance of “the projective city” and Waterloo Region’s tech sector. However, in order for actors to take these risks, a certain level of confidence and understanding needs to be established. Actors must maintain the capacity that Boltanski and Chiapello (1999) discuss. Since actors are switching from project to project, each new project gains the opportunity of benefiting/learning from the outcomes and failures of the last. Evidentially, this has sped up the innovation process, altering both the occupational and educational landscape. 

I think it’s important to point out that Boltanski and Chiapello (1999) make the claim that “a firm will be regarded as offering a certain form of security when it does not destroy the employability of its wage-earners but enhances it instead” (p. 94). Therefore, the rapid pace of evolving knowledge demands means that if actors are not continuously learning as Mallon suggests, they are directly neglecting their employability and therefore, job security altogether. 

The concept of establishing a skill set and mastering that skill set through full-time employment in a long-term career allows for actors to work their way up the corporate ladder. Whereas in the projective city, opportunities and connections arise out of the success of prior projects, and connections made through the execution of these projects. Consequently, network size is directly linked with the achievements of actors. Therefore, Mallon’s suggestion of “learning the equivalent of a master’s degree every 10 years” simply gives actors a competitive advantage, and an opportunity to expand one’s network and accordingly, increase their employability. In consideration of Castell’s work, this approach to learning is an excellent example of both network power, as well as network-making power. Namely, actors that maintain their employability have the power to shift in-between different networks and form different relationships. However, actors that do not hold the capacity to keep up with the changing knowledge demands will be excluded from certain networks. 

After coming across a developing project in Toronto (https://sidewalktoronto.ca/), Mallon’s discussion and Simon Chan’s claim—“It was about tackling a community problem and trying to get ahead of it like entrepreneurs do” (2019), came to mind. This project suggests building a community from the internet up. Exemplary of both risk-taking, as well as a direct example of using prior projects (the internet/data collection/solar energy) in order to execute projects that work towards enhancing the lives of Torontonians, and solving legitimate community issues (sustainability, transportation, and housing affordability), through digital solutions. As this community is likely to embody the same values and beliefs as “the projective city”, I am curious as to what types of network power will arise.