ABSTRACT
The city and the corporation are two of the most influential phenomena of the twenty-first century. The literature on corporations, and specifically on corporate social responsibility, has generally ignored the urban space as a unique locus of corporate activity and influence. This chapter shows that the central role some corporations play in the city’s economic, cultural and social life and the growing power of some corporations to affect the urban landscape as such give rise to corporate responsibility to the city as a distinct stakeholder. Municipalities should play an active role in implementing policies that will maintain the special nature of the city, safeguarding the special fabric of the urban environment. The chapter discusses the unique challenge posed by the interrelations between corporations and cities. Importantly, the urban attributes that facilitate the thriving of a corporation in the city are also those that are often threatened by corporate conduct, once it is established in the urban environment.
