Informace o kurzu

As more than half of the world's population live in urban areas, cities shift into the focus of global development - of states, markets, environment, social movements and international cooperation. Fostered by global economic competition and the retreat of states, rapid urbanisation can enhance spatial fragmentation, social exclusion and cultural homogenization. But instead of mere economic agglomerations, cities still offer public spaces where diverse groups meet, contest and create new ideas and relations. The contemporary changes also offer local opportunities for entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and bottom-up politics in global development processes. This course enquires into the role of cities in globalisation, the various claims and strategies for urban development and the ways how cities reflect various scenarios and critiques of development and globalisation.