Introduction

Over the past three decades we have seen cities across the world take on a new character and a new dynamic that has forced issues of culture and consumption more prominently to the fore. Those changes have taken shape against a background need for competitiveness that has involved the development of a changing form of economic mix and changing forms of governance ( Harvey, 1989  a; 1989 b). The city today is a place where unprecedented global flows of people, capital, and information see ongoing transformations no longer shaped by the managerialism of the past but instead embracing an intensified entrepreneurialism. The entrepreneurial city as it has come to be known has become a key feature of neoliberal capitalist societies: from the small number of world cities with global reach to the intensified redevelopment of smaller towns and cities. Whatever the size, a profound impact has been felt on the cultural as well as economic and political character of urban living during this time. The processes are still unfolding and developing.