Old and New Paradigms for Urban Research

Abstract

Globalization increases local democracy. Both economic and democratic changes illustrate how global developments interpenetrate regional and local processes. Globalization also demands reformulation of past research paradigms. For instance, central place theory, regimes and growth machines, class and race politics, rational choice models, and patronage/clientelism paradigms are all losing power. A new political culture is emerging with globalization, redefining the rules of the game by which many urban processes operate. The Fiscal Austerity and Urban Innovation Project is a network of more than 700 participants generating discussion, research reports, and public data clarifying these points.