Neoliberalism

Question 1

Cities and neoliberalism

Answer 1

Decline of industrial towns, rise of inequality within cities

Question 2

Manuel castells: collective consumption

Answer 2

He recognizes that historically we have thought of cities in terms of production

20th century = tied to consumption , quality of life (goods and services)

If you want access you need to go to a city

Marx focused on the inequality shift of people’s access to collective resources

Question 3

Collective consumption

Answer 3

Things that we all consume together

goods and services that are produced and consumed on a collective level. (Schools, libraries, roads etc)

Question 4

Implication towards the shift

Answer 4

Marx - divide from proletariat and bourgeoisie

Implications for social inequality and social conflict

More inequality will manifest themselves when people have more access to resources (mobility -no car, education system - public/private)

Question 5

Education

Answer 5

Castells sees cities of inequality through the lens of consumption

Social movements aimed at the government over access to services

Montreal student protest: they were going to raise tuition fees

Government is a neutral force , benefits certain people and not others

Question 6

Keynesian economics

Answer 6

Markets are not perfect and need to be managed to avoid collapsing

The government should intervene

• redistribute wealth (progressive income tax)
• regulate economic activity (anti trust laws, min wage)
• delivering essential services (Heath care, education)

Problems such as crime and poverty are seen as social problems that require collective solutions

Question 7

Cities under Keynesianism: urban managerialism

Answer 7

• Higher parts of government
• Collecting Income taxes, allowing them to do the distribution and programs
• when you want to put these resources to action- the higher levels of government would turn to Lower levels (administered at local levels)

Role of municipal government is to oversee these programs

Question 8

Ford to city: drop dead

Answer 8

Republic present
Businesses are going out of business , New York is expected to carry out these welfare services - turns to Washington to borrow money and they say no .

New York eventually becomes a bail out

Question 9

Neoliberalism (ideology) -opposite idea of Keynes

Answer 9

• markets are self regulating and work best when left alone
• the government should lay a minimal role in marked and peoples lives
• all action should be brought within the domain of the market
• people - self interested individuals rather than a collective group. Given as much freedom as possible and be responsible for solving their own problems

Question 10

Neoliberalism (policy) - phishing the individual as opposed to solving the collective problem

Answer 10

• roll back of welfare state programs
• deregulation of the economy (lifting restrictions of business)
• privatization of public services/assists
• laws that restrict unionization (outsourcing public services to non unionized companies)
• strict law and order policies, often targeted at the poor (longer jail terms, more funding for police)

Question 11

Cities under neoliberalism: urban entrepreneurialism

Answer 11

Cities have turned their focus toward private investors

Governments engage in speculative economic development schemes - public private partnerships

Ex: public funds to subsidize the code of doing business (tax breaks, private businesses)

Ex: seeking to become a regional or international centre of consumption

Transforming the city into a destination of tourism and retail

Question 12

Fantasy cities

Answer 12

The city centre has been reborn as a glitzy show piece of consumption related actives revolving around Tourism, professional sports,, culture, entertainment

Ex: Las Vegas

Question 13

Place branding: the Bilbao effect

Answer 13

Cities turn to high culture

Effect: comes from an industrial city in Spain that was struggling with an industry that disappeared

Made tourist attractions

Generating tax money and jobs

Question 14

Case study: Toronto in the late 1990s

Answer 14

The city became amalgamated 6 different municipalities and bring them under on government
Worlds colliding, people living out in the suburbs

Suburbanites became the vast majority of the population, so mayor had to represent suburban views

Question 15

Homelessness

Answer 15

Consumer citizen- go out in the market and decide what we want to do, no force = apply this to homelessness

Police tactics: Crack down on the poor