Globalisation and urban equity

1. Globalisation and urban equity UK-Brazil network Initiation work shop 18 May 2010

2. Globalisation and world city formation conceptual and methodological issues • How do we define economic globalisation? • Global as opposed to national markets • Qualitative shift in the capitalist mode of production • A condition of late capitalism and new imperialism • How and to what degree are cities actually involved in the globalisation process? • How much is rhetoric, how much is fact? • World cities or a world of cities? • City regions and network of cities • What measures do we use? • E.g., GaWC and organisational measure of relations based on geographical scope of producer services • Intrenationalisation of trade and capital • How can we best capture both diversity of processes in cities and how they link into a globalised world economy?

3. The “new” city Economy • As junctions of flow • Prominence of high value added, knowledge based growth • New international division of labour and global industrial shifts • Growth corridors, export processing and industrial hubs from Juarez to Shenzhen and Jakarta to Sao Paulo • But what does this mean in terms of local economic development? • E.g., Bangalore emphasising IT led development but what happens to the old industries (car parts, textiles, electrical) which are much more labour intensive (90%) and embedded within the local economy, • On the other hand is internal restructuring inevitable and cities must be better prepared to deal with the consequences? E.g., textile industry in Mumbai! • What new opportunities are created in terms of local income generation and how sustainable are these? • Direct and indirect impact on labour relations and working conditions? • Direct - perhaps more organised and greater scrutiny with better wages • Indirect - linked to the informal economy, unregulated and sweatshop conditions but still providing income generating opportunities!?

4. Changing governance 1 • Rescaling governance and regulatory practices downwards and upwards – a process of glocalization!? • Global-local nexus leading to specific and different outcomes at the local level • What are the local policy responses in terms of economic, social and environmental development? • What are the spatial manifestations of these policies? • E.g., Expansion and redevelopment of CBDs, • Abandoned industrial areas, • industrial, commercial and residential suburbanisation, • Growth of malls and modern shopping facilities!? • Growth of Mega cities and extended metropolitan regions

5. Changing governance 2 • Growth of real estate markets and increased commercialisation of land • Squeezing the lower income groups from access to land and increased segregation/informality! Eviction, exclusion and insufficient compensation! • But can real estate markets actually be a force for social integration? - Examples from Santiago, Mexico City • Can increased commercialisation of land also provide income and livelihood opportunities for the lower income groups!? • How can we enable lower income groups to benefit more from commercialisation processes?

6. Changing governance 3 • The balance between decentralisation and effective management. What is the level of subsidiarity and how can we avoid balkanisation at the metropolitan level? • Examples China, Eastern Europe, India • The institutional framework and role of social actors in producing social space (politicians, developers, financiers, firms, citizens, planners, NGOs,…) • Who has the right to the city, not only right of access and share of resources but the right to shape the city? • Who for example decides that Bangalore should be another Singapore? • What is the impact on segregation and inequality?

7. Changing governance 4 • How are these impacting the environment? • Loss of agricultural land, increased energy use, pollution of land, water and air, etc… • but can it be turned around, e.g., Cubatao? • Related issues: • The Brown Vs the Green Agenda • LED as the best tool for environmental protection!? • Empty stomachs more concerned with survival than the environment

8. Changing governance 4 • Can integrated strategic planning, e.g., CDS, make a difference? Or are they another form of extension of neoliberal growth model to developing countries?

9. Points for discussion • Conceptual issues – What is the most appropriate framework for understanding role of cities in economic globalisation in Brazil and UK? • What should be our point of departure? • What does economic globalisation mean in terms of local economic development, asset consolidation and livelihood opportunities for low income groups? • What are the spatial manifestations of this particularly in terms of contested claims to land? • What are the impacts on the environment, water and energy needs? • How does the operation of real estate markets and actors impact on these claims? • How does the governance process mediate and facilitate these contesting requirements? • What are the enabling institutional processes and support mechanisms for low income households and SME local firms? • What are the important determinants for government, civil society and business intervention? • What is the role of strategic planning for a more effective multi-level governance framework?

10. Global Network Connectivity175 firms – 526 cities (Pain, 2009)