Mahdi Aghrariyan, a member of the Tehran City Council, recently introduced the concept of "theatrical governance" in the council chamber and emphasized that when the number of inaugurated projects and the extent of media coverage replace solving the city's issues, governance strays from being issue-oriented.
Project-Based Approaches and Personal Advertising
Aghrariyan pointed out that this project-based approach not only leads to a short-term perspective but also results in the replacement of advertising indicators with performance indicators. He also referred to the personalization of management, stating that this trend can create an unsuitable environment in urban management.
He further identified "personal advertising by managers" and the phenomenon of "the blogger mayor" as clear examples of theatrical governance. According to Aghrariyan, this type of governance not only fails to address the real problems of the city but also leads to new challenges.
Challenges Facing Tehran
Given the current situation in Tehran and the numerous problems existing in the city, Aghrariyan warned that if the focus on project-based approaches and media reflections continues, it can be expected that the real issues of the city will be overshadowed and citizens will continue to face fundamental challenges.
Aghrariyan's statements clearly indicate the urgent need for a reevaluation of management approaches and a focus on solving the real issues of the city. In this context, it seems that the media and public opinion should also pay more attention to this matter and expect accountability from city officials regarding the main issues.
