The Global Cultural City? Spatial Imagineering and Politics in the (Multi)cultural Marketplaces of South-east Asia

Abstract

No longer just epicentres of capital transactions, cities are 'going global' on the basis of integrating economic and cultural activity as an urban regeneration strategy. Place-wars among cities to attract investors have intensified around the production and consumption of culture and the arts, often taking the form of the construction of mega-projects and hallmark events, the development of a cultural industries sector and an upsurge of urban image-making and branding activities. This paper first reviews the discursive underpinnings of the growing aestheticisation of the landscape as part of urban boosterism in the context of south-east Asia. As with other post-colonial cities which have embraced an entrepreneurial regime, spatial imagineering in south-east Asian cities draws on 'local' identity to gain a competitive edge in the global marketplace. This is followed by an examination of the emerging spatial politics, social polarisations and symbolic discontent accompanying cultural regeneration.