ABSTRACT
Urban change in resurgent cities around the world often takes the form of large-scale projects. From the revalorization of old docklands and industrial sites to the construction of giant malls, motorways and new towns, the contemporary scene is one of gargantuan urbanism. Competition forces cities to constantly improve and upgrade infrastructures and facilities. Big urbanism provides lucrative investment opportunities. The megaprojects involve public–private partnerships. These can take various forms, from joint development projects of equal partnerships to a more permissive stance of governments. The megaprojects, because they can be relatively self-contained and exclusionary implants, reinforce residential segregation between the rich and the poor, the connected and the unconnected, the upwardly mobile and those stuck in place. The Summer Olympic Games are an urban spectacular that connects cities and societies in global discourses and shared practices. Candidate cities include global cities at the apex of the global urban hierarchy.
