“Urban social movements in an era of globalization”

This chapter discusses the changes in local politics which urban research has identified as reactions to globalization practices, and suggeests that prevailing movements to these shifts in urban politics in order to. It describes strategic implications and options for local actors and focus on major cities, which, regardless of historical tradition, geographical location, or general level of economic development, are increasingly tied into global flows and networks in very similar ways. The contemporary forms of urban growth and development consist primarily of the efforts of cities to upgrade their locality in the international competition for investors, advanced services, and mega-projects. The concentration on prestige projects tends to detract attention and finances from other urban problems and to restrict investments in other areas. Thus, protest campaigns against these forms and instruments of city marketing raise questions of democratic planning that urban elites concerned with intra-regional and international competitiveness like to downplay.