URBAN INEQUALITY

Planning in Equality? Urban Strategy and Inequality in Global South Cities

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The rapid urbanization in the Global South is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, taking place through highly unequal and largely informal development. In this context, various “urban strategies” are promoted to “harness urbanization to deliver equitable and inclusive growth”. However, there is insufficient knowledge to date on the adeptness of such strategies and other “strategic plans” and “visions” to address the challenges of urban inequality in a way that corresponds to local conditions and lived experiences in Global South cities. To fill this lacuna, the project will examine how concepts of urban inequality – theories, methodologies and “best practices” regarding socio-spatial disparities in cities, their consequences, and ways to tackle them – are formulated, mediated and negotiated through urban strategic processes. The research will offer: (1) a cross-national comparison of strategies, highlighting their spatial imaginary and “visual politics” vis-à-vis inequality; (2) an in-depth analysis of the urban strategy process in one Global South city (potentially Mumbai/Delhi or Cape Town/Johannesburg). It will follow both grassroots and grasstops processes through which diverse concepts, values and visions relating to inequality shape urban strategy, at several levels: the international development organization, national and local government, business elites, NGOs, middle-class and marginalized urban communities. It will consist of a multi-method ethnography, including interviews with key stakeholders, participant observation, analysis of plans and policy documents, and innovative visual methods. Based at the interdisciplinary Center for Global Metropolitan Studies at Berkeley and the Center for Urban and Regional Studies at the Technion, with further mobility to the Global South, the project will strengthen research networks and make a substantial contribution in the fields of planning, urban sociology and critical development studies.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

A cross-national comparison of urban strategies showcases how adept such strategies are at addressing the challenges of urban inequality in terms of local and lived experiences.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Issues associated with urban inequality and urban planning reveal socio-spatial divisions and disparities. This is particularly true in Global South cities. Yet, there, the knowledge about these issues remains insufficient.

In light of this, the project 'Planning in equality? Urban strategy and inequality in Global South cities' (URBAN INEQUALITY) is examining urban strategies and planning in several cities in the Global South, primarily in Africa and India, through a multi-method ethnography. Particular emphasis is being placed on the cities of Cape Town, Delhi, Johannesburg and Mumbai.

The political, institutional, social and cultural context of urban strategies in relation to their stance on inequality is being examined. Additionally, the project is looking at the ways stakeholders and communities are reacting to such inequalities. Thus far, the efforts have resulted in a series of conference papers based on the project's initial stages, a published paper in a leading academic journal, and the start of academic collaboration and networking.

Upon completion, the results are expected to contribute significantly to academic and policy knowledge of the stance of urban strategies on the subject of inequality in different countries as well as the different levels of the process. Furthermore, the work can help facilitate long-term collaboration with researchers, academic institutions and relevant organisations in Europe, India, Israel, South Africa and the United States.