Contesting ‘VIP’ Urbanism 2
Type: Virtual Paper
Day: 2/26/2022
Start Time: 3:40 PM
End Time: 5:00 PM
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Sponsor Group(s):
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Organizer(s):
John Lauermann
, Zoe Alexander
, Khouloud Mallak
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Chairs(s):
John Lauermann, CUNY Graduate Center
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Description:
Organized by: Zoe Alexander (zalexander@gradcenter.cuny.edu), John Lauermann
(jlauermann@mec.cuny.edu), and Khouloud Mallak (kmallak@gradcenter.cuny.edu)
Capitalist cities often operate a two-tiered system of urban planning: one set of rules for most
people, and a different set for elite investors, large developers, and politically well-connected
homeowners. The latter circumvents de jure land use law with a de facto ‘VIP’ system, cobbled
together by exploiting loopholes, vetoing initiatives, lobbying for exemptions, and sometimes
flouting the law altogether. This paper session brings together a range of perspectives on the systemic role of elite capture in land use planning, including (but not limited to) NIMBYism, lobbying, loophole exploitation, opportunity hoarding, rent seeking, cronyism, and patronage politics. Are these isolated stories of elites run amok, or do they play a more fundamental role in capitalist urbanization? How is urban planning imbricated in class formation and reproduction? And in an age of extreme economic inequality, how should elite land use practices be mitigated?
Paper topics include but are not limited to:
● Gentrification and residential segregation
● Suburbanization and secessionary politics
● NIMBYism, opportunity hoarding, rent-seeking
● Growth coalitions and entrepreneurial cities
● Housing, infrastructure, and their financialization
● Critical and radical planning alternatives
Presentation(s), if applicable
Rodrigo Caimanque, ; Contesting entrepreneurial urbanism: Struggles on the Parque Pumpin Megaproject in Valparaiso, Chile |
Alejandra Bonilla Mena, ; The power of urban entrepreneurialism in the socio-spatial configuration of the Metropolitan District of Quito |
Jean-Baptiste Frétigny, ; ‘Airport city’ or VIP urbanism? Questioning the market-led development strategies of airport firms. |
Non-Presenting Participants Agenda
Role | Participant |
Discussant | Jamie Jover |
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Contesting ‘VIP’ Urbanism 2
Description
Virtual Paper
Contact the Primary Organizer
Zoe Alexander - zalexander@gradcenter.cuny.edu