Urban Governance and Strategie Planning: "Best Practices" for Whom?

This seminar discusses neoliberal urban governance in Western cities since the late 1970s. The following topics will be addressed: the conceptualization of ‘urban governance’ with a focus on entrepreneurialism, case studies of strategic urban planning, the notion of ‘best practices’ in urban planning from a decolonial perspective, and the discussion of recent trends of ‘tactical urbanism.’ Students will research varied case studies of urban governance in South America and Europe to conduct their own critical analysis on the effects of neoliberal urban governance to different cities.

Einführende Literatur:

Brenner, N. (1999). “Globalisation as Reterritorialisation: The Re-scaling of Urban Governance in the European Union”. Urban Studies, 36(3): 431-451.

Harvey, D. (1989). “From Managerialism to Entrepreneurialism: The Transformation in Urban Governance in Late Capitalism”. Geografiska Annaler, 71(1): 03-17.

Vainer, C. (2014). “Disseminating ‘Best Practice'? The Coloniality of Urban Knowledge and City Models.” In: The Routledge Handbook on Cities of the Global South, edited by S. Parnell, and S. Oldfield, London: Routledge.