19. Urban (hi)stories untold: Spatial transformations between global(ised) imperatives and local realities

In the light of contemporary historical understanding, the latest Golden Age of globalisation took place after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of Cold War, when political, economic, cultural and media globalisation flows and their narratives intensified, backed by the acceleration of technological innovations. Declaratively grounded upon accepted universal standards and supranational organisations, the globalisation framework initially proclaimed the importance of human rights, environmental protection and balanced social differences, as well as the notion of global idealisation.

However, the other side of globalisation, based on the neo-liberal logic of consumerism and a world-wide chase for profit, triggered numerous paradoxes and contradictions between the official stories of development and their actual socio-spatial manifestation. These discrepancies have been especially noticeable in various types of urban transformations which have reshaped and re-labeled cities around the globe. However, the process of globalisation is not just a contemporary phenomenon and the effects and narratives of previous waves have been also present, testifying on the ambiguity of the process itself – while being preserved, remodelled, re-contextualised or even erased.

Considering the specificities of the fast-changing planning and architectural paradigms within diverse ideological streams, this session will address both the official and unofficial stories of urban success and failure, focusing on the spatial implications of different globalisation waves (from the 1800s to 2000s) and the problems they addressed – from population growth and decline, migrations, poverty, inequality, to multiplying environmental challenges which further increased a gap between the rich/developed and the poor/undeveloped. We welcome contributions dealing with both planning ideas and spatial/architectural typologies, as well as the local strategic and political thinking, covering at least one the following themes, but also being open to other suggestions: 

• How global economic cycles have been seen, (mis)understood and/or (mis)used and what kind of traces they left on cities, their policies and urban (hi)stories;

• What kind of new spatial typologies and topologies have been created (public spaces, buildings, districts etc.) and how they have been used, organised, imposed, justified and/or advertised in different cities; 

• How economic megatrends of different periods have manifested themselves in urban planning and urban policies and encountered local limitations;

• How global paradigms and their associated monetary economy have shaped public spaces and for whom;

• What kind of urbanscapes have been generated due to the prevailing global preferences and what kind of meanings they have embraced/negated/transmitted in both official and unofficial narratives.