Doing comparative urbanism differently: Conjunctural cities and the stress-testing of urban theory

Abstract

Ongoing splintering and siloification in urban studies require alternative approaches to bring the major theoretical and epistemological perspectives into constructive dialogue. Reflecting growing calls for engaged pluralism, we analyse the extent to which different perspectives can come together as complementary alternatives in understanding cities and present a framework for overcoming the key theoretical and methodological challenges caused by fragmentation. Using Istanbul as our illustrative case, we do this in three steps. Theoretically, we stress-test the potentials and limits of four dominant perspectives in urban theory making – global cities, state rescaling, developmental and postcolonial – revealing how each can only ever generate a partial, one-dimensional, explanation. Methodologically, we proceed to make the case for doing comparative urbanism differently by developing a conjunctural approach. Finally, and conceptually, we identify ‘conjunctural cities’ as a distinctive type of city and as a new approach to analysing cities. Our contention is that approaching all cities conjuncturally provides a significant step towards putting engaged pluralism into action, as well as indicating new terrain on which the future of urban theory/urban studies can be constructively debated.

Re‐arranging the urban: Forms, rhythms, politics

“…This 'themed intervention' proceeds from a process of collective composition whose objective has been to extend the working tools of urban analysis rather than simply offering new conceptual formulations. In that sense, we are attempting both to actualise the experience of the conjunctural in terms of our working relations, and also to deploy this sense of the conjunctural as a way of thinking about our respective fields (Sayın et al, 2022). For instance, we have used this opportunity as a means of opening up further explorations among work largely done in media studies and the philosophy of technics.…”

Positioning China’s state entrepreneurialism in structural coherence and multiple logics

“…The same applies to terms such as neoliberalisation (Robinson et al, 2022) and urban entrepreneurialism (Guo, 2020). The concerns resonate with the attempt of conjunctural analysis (Peck, 2017a, 2023; Sayın et al, 2022) to foster theoretical triangulation and ‘dialogic connections between case studies, midlevel concepts and revisable theory claims’ (Peck, 2017a: 4).…”

Comparative urbanism in times of Covid‐19 and beyond

“…Leitner and Sheppard's (2020) geographical take of the conjunctural method challenges a focus on places and territory in favour of scale, and includes ‘horizontal (inter‐urban but also rural‐urban), vertical (inter‐scalar) and spatiotemporal relations’ (p. 496). Sayin and colleagues (2022, p. 265) stretch the concept of conjunctural urbanism further by arguing that conjunctural cities are both a distinctive type of cities and an approach for analysing cities. They argue that conjunctural urbanism is able to bring engaged pluralism into practice by employing a constructive triangulation of multiple theoretical lenses in one single‐city case‐study (Sayin et al., 2022, p. 275).…”

“…Sayin and colleagues (2022, p. 265) stretch the concept of conjunctural urbanism further by arguing that conjunctural cities are both a distinctive type of cities and an approach for analysing cities. They argue that conjunctural urbanism is able to bring engaged pluralism into practice by employing a constructive triangulation of multiple theoretical lenses in one single‐city case‐study (Sayin et al., 2022, p. 275).…”