The Neoliberal City – Theory, Evidence, Debates

Abstract

International audienceFor almost two decades now, neoliberalism and neoliberalization have become the object of increasing interest not only in political debate but also in the social sciences, and in particular urban studies. Because the definition of neoliberalism (or neoliberalization) is itself one dimension of this debate, we provisionally define it here as the set of intellectual streams, policy orientations and regulatory arrangements that strive to extend market mechanisms, relations, discipline and ethos to an ever-expanding spectrum of spheres of social activities, and all this through relying on strong State intervention. These streams and orientations are far from constituting a coherent and stable ensemble. That is the reason why many scholars prefer the notion of neoliberalization in order to depict the inherently fuzzy, diverse, contingent, ever-mutating and pathdependent processes of regulatory change that have been inspired by neoliberal ideas (BRENNER and THEODORE, 2002)

Autonomy, Erasure, and Persistence in the Urban Gardening Commons

“…3 In Southern Europe, urban neoliberalisation has been associated with changes in citystate relations, as city leaders gain more autonomy when the central state loosens its grasp. Moreover, neoliberalism has been refracted through stronger commitments to liberalism as well as a vocal Left (le Gal es 2016; Pinson and Journel 2016). 4 Due to relatively cheap land and the range of existing autonomous commons, permaculture has a large following in Lisbon, drawing in young migrants from Germany and France.…”

“… In Southern Europe, urban neoliberalisation has been associated with changes in city‐state relations, as city leaders gain more autonomy when the central state loosens its grasp. Moreover, neoliberalism has been refracted through stronger commitments to liberalism as well as a vocal Left (le Galès ; Pinson and Journel ). …”

L’élaboration des choix énergétiques dans les projets urbains, entre apprentissages et négociations. L’exemple des prescriptions immobilières à Bordeaux Saint-Jean Belcier

“…Pour prendre un exemple, étudier précisément la façon dont les prescriptions immobilières sont construites dans les opérations d'aménagement pourrait permettre de montrer comment s'articulent des dynamiques telles que la financiarisation (Halbert et Attuyer, 2016) et la néolibéralisation (Pinson et Morel Journel, 2016b) de la production urbaine, la circulation des « bonnes pratiques » et des modèles d'aménagement (Devisme et al, 2007;Carriou et Ratouis, 2014;Holden et al, 2015), ou encore l'évolution des savoirs et des métiers de l'urbanisme (Matthey et Fleury, 2016).…”

Neoliberalism(s) as a Guide to Post‐Wall Urban Change: Explanation Out of the Blue?

“…Recent research into the significance of neoliberalism as a major force in urban management has increasingly come to focus on its real or imagined impact (Le Galès ; Pinson & Morel Journel , ; Storper ; Birch ). Following on the heels of observations by scholars who suggest that from a ‘non‐Western’ perspective neoliberalism as a prime driver of urban change is of limited relevance (e.g.…”

“…CEE represents a setting in which neoliberal policies can be investigated, but where the importance of such policies and related expressions has not been conclusively confirmed or rejected. Given that the empirical support (as opposed to summary statements) for the idea that neoliberalism is ‘at the heart of any explanatory system’ (Pinson & Morel Journel , p. 139) has not been awarded much attention in the urban studies literature as a whole, our contribution here is intended to be of interest beyond geography and the confines of the European transition economies.…”