The poverty and social inequality contained within cities are once again on the agenda as the number of people living in the cities surpasses that of those living in the countryside for the first time in human history. The slums of the Third World, which, despite their miserable conditions were once seen as the symbol of hope for the possibility of a better world, now appear as the symbols of an approaching apocalypse in the new millennium of neo-liberalism. The cities are marked with the spatia..
The poverty and social inequality contained within cities are once again on the agenda as the number of people living in the cities surpasses that of those living in the countryside for the first time in human history. The slums of the Third World, which, despite their miserable conditions were once seen as the symbol of hope for the possibility of a better world, now appear as the symbols of an approaching apocalypse in the new millennium of neo-liberalism. The cities are marked with the spatial reproduction of wealth and poverty side by side. Urban space has become a major instrument generating economic value and social exclusion at the same time. In various parts of the globe, from New York and London to Delhi, Seoul and Mumbai; from Rio and Mexico City to Istanbul and Beijing, the metropolises of diverse cultures witness the subjection of urban space to the similar processes of renewal, transformation and gentrification. Destruction and reconstruction of the built environment has historically been a means of recovery from financial crises. Today, having served as a key instrument of financial investments for two decades, urban space rests at the heart of the current global crisis.
Building Surfer
