ABSTRACT

Introduction The global reach of the recent economic and financial crisis, the depth and duration of its manifold impacts, and the massive default in finance, employment, consumption, and trust have called for new approaches and developments for the years ahead. While some authors assume that we have entered ‘another lost decade’ (Leigland & Russell, 2009), others recognise the fact that each crisis contains the seed of change and that it might be perceived as an accelerator of processes of change that are already in train (Shiller, 2008). Understanding the crisis also as a driver for change and seeing the change not only as a threat and a source of uncertainty but also as an opportunity allows the search for new solutions to the emerging challenges and altered circumstances. The growing complexity, the increasing interdependence, and financial scarcity form ‘the new “normal” with which we will have to live in the near future’ (Cohen, 2011: p. 4). The times of crisis are precisely ‘the times for questioning, reflection and system improvement’ (Martinez, Smoke, & Vaillancourt, 2009: p. 16) that enable us to rethink our values as human beings, the organisation of our society, and the territory we are living in. Considering this, it could be argued that the recent economic and financial crisis with its numerous social, economic, spatial, and environmental impacts has changed conditions we have been used to for years and has led to a new understanding of the organisation of our territory (Romero, Jiménez, & Villoria, 2012). Meanwhile, it has called for the need to rethink existing governance structures and urban policies as well as to identify new instruments, strategies, and approaches for territorial development. A look back to the pre-crisis decades enables the identification of certain models of development, applied and reproduced in many cities. Analysis of spatial politics developed in Europe reveals that these politics are the outcome of specific forms of political-economic interventions and of the application of state spatial strategies that often neglect space (Brenner & Elden, 2009). While being a reflection of the dominant modes of production and the endeavour for economic growth (Lefebvre, 1992), urban space has also witnessed the interest of national and local governments for intensified competition on the global scene.