Urban politics Flashcards
What is urban entrepreneurialism?
Refers to the investment friendly strategies used by urban authorities to attract companies and entrepreneurs
What are some instances of urban entrepreneurailism?
City governments compete for flagship projects, prestigious public events, new economy industries, and cultural activities
Who tends to benefit from urban entrepreneurialism?
Usually, local businesses and political leaders, not residents or workers
What are urban growth coalitions?
often include property transactions, banks, realtors, selling homes, media companies, speculators wanting to capitalize on inflated property values, mayors, city management seeking to attract so-called ‘creative workers’
what is an example of a growth colaition coming to be and changing a city?
El Raval, Barcelona, Spain
- once associated with vice, crime, and prostitution
- gateway neighbourhood for the working-class poor
-Became target for redevelopment policies after Barcelona secured the 1992 olympics
- The growth coalition came together, several blocks of low-income housing were destroyed to make pedestrian areas, upscale hotels were created, tourist shops, fancy bars, etc
What were some of teh challenges of urban redevelopment in Barcelona?
A struggle with the vision for the future, industrial capital –> European Cultural Centre and economic capital
Tension between advocates for urban growth, regular citizens, and global elites/tourists
Failure to provide social and physical infrastructures, essential services, education, etc.
What are urban authorities?
Governmental entities responsible for managing the affairs of a city such as:
-phsyical and social infrastructures
-connecting homes and workplaces, essential services (water and electricity)
-childcare
-education
Explain San Juan hill
A new vision for NY, urban renewal and entrepreneuralism
San Juan Hill in West Manhattan was a working class, multi-racial neighbourhood that was totally destroyed to make for Lincoln centre
The residents were displaced and not given replacement housing as promised
Caused a lot of tension and fights over ‘right to the city’
What has caused a new era of urban entrepreneurialism?
-The growth of public-private partnerships
-the private financing of urban development and infrastructure
- The contracting out of urban services formerly funded and delivered by the state
How has there been a shift from teh industrial revolution?
The path to economic development and job gorwth was once viewed only through the lense of industrialism. Now it is shifting to a creative revolution
What caused the shift to a creative revolution?
-competition in manufacturing with China
- rising cost of manufacturing in Industrialized societies
- Silicon Valley
Industrail pollution
IT revolution
- Governments are placing growing emphasis on how to encourage industries
What is a creative city?
Pioneered by Charles Landry emphasizes that there is always more potential in that place
He argues that certain conditions can be created for people to think plan and act with imagination
-should identify, nurture, attract, and sustain talent in order to mobilize
- bohemian or gay index indicates the presence of the creative class
How have planners and policy makers attempted to engineer a ‘creative’ environment?
-talent, tech, tolerance to increase
-replicating Silicon Valley (The IT industrial parks)
-the creative campus
-nurturing cultural districts
-creating new cultural districts from scratch
National creative maker-overs?
Cyberjaya, Malaysia
Cyberabad, India
South Korea
Singapore
Curitiba, Brazil
Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Yachay, Ecuador
How is South Korea a cultural industry success story?
South Koreans realized that culture can be profitable as semiconductors or cars
Korean culture like TV Dramas, movies, songs, celebrities
Explain the creative makeover in Cyberjaya
Twin city to Putrajaya in Malaysia, a IT-themed city
Intended to attract international high-tech and IT firms, the Silicon Valley of Southeast Asia
Part of Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Coridor, a scheme intended to leap-frog Malaysia into teh information age
Now, mostly back-office businesses and call centres
Explain the creative makeover in Cyberabad
Emulated Cyberjaya
Intended to attract international high-tech and IT firms, the silicon valley of India
The story is still building, appear to be attracting firms and construction is under way
What is the Bilbao effect?
The Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, was designed by starchitect Frank Gehry to attract attention, visitors, and investment
Benefit to local economy estimated at 150 million/year
How does Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi show the Bilbao effect?
An island off the coast of Abu Dhabi that is being created as a creative cultural district
Starchitects have been hired to make architectural spectacles and franchises of major museums. An example is Louvre Abu Dhabi, the cost of the name is over double the price of building.
NYU-Abu Dhabi is on the island
Unprecedented level of Bilbao effect
How has Singapore had a creative journey?
Former British colony, small island, no resources,
Then Manufacturing, Engineers and IT, Biotech sector, and late 2000s to now creative industries
They had a massive investment in creative infrastructure: national theatres, one-north, Science park, maintaining cultural districts, nightlife districts
What are some critiques of Singapore’s creative strategy as discussed by Natalie Oswin?
Initially, disorderly, many small vendors with a lack of sanitation, but very lively
Orders impeded hawkers on the streets, moved indoors
Some new mall food courts evoke the liveliness and colour of street life before the government destroyed it
What is Singapore’s ‘one-north’ creative cluster?
Attempt to transition from workers with a defined set of skills
200 hectare business park
Designed ot host creative industries: R&D, medical sciences (biopolis), infocomm, media
Reusing colonial buildings to cater to the ‘creative-class’
Master plan by Zaha Hadid
Intended to integrate “live, work, play”
