NEW URBAN GEOGRAPHIES OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS: THE CASE OF GLASGOW, UK

Gareth Rice
Department of Geography
University of Helsinki
gareth.rice(at)helsinki.fi

Under the aegis of neoliberalism the ever more intensive use of space goes hand in hand with global capitalist development. In times of economic crises spaces of global capital take on new geographies. This is evident from previous rounds of economic restructuring in former industrial cities transformed from ‘dead zones’ (Doron 2002) into sites for more cultural based (demand led) activities and a dependency on service based economies. However, at the urban scale at least, while previous rounds of economic restructuring rendered many global spaces of capital more susceptible to alternative uses, the 2008 ‘credit crunch’ may be associated with their augmentation. Evidence from Glasgow indicates that investors are attempting to spend their way out of the ‘credit crunch’ through expanding the use value of existing sites rather than ‘giving them up’ for alternative uses or simply abandoning them. This expansion also projects a wider urban renewal discourse, which blights less profitable areas in the city centre. Glasgow’s Paddy’s Market is one area which has been targeted in such a way and subsequently projected as a ‘crime ridden midden’ by the City Council who are demanding higher rent levels. I conclude that this pervasive naturalization of market discipline ruptures the relationship between urban space and belonging.


ESITTELY OHJELMA ILMOITTAUTUMINEN JÄRJESTÖT ARKISTO		NEW URBAN GEOGRAPHIES OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS: THE CASE OF GLASGOW, UK Takaisin edelliselle sivulle Gareth Rice Department of Geography University of Helsinki gareth.rice(at)helsinki.fi Under the aegis of neoliberalism the ever more intensive use of space goes hand in hand with global capitalist development. In times of economic crises spaces of global capital take on new geographies. This is evident from previous rounds of economic restructuring in former industrial cities transformed from ‘dead zones’ (Doron 2002) into sites for more cultural based (demand led) activities and a dependency on service based economies. However, at the urban scale at least, while previous rounds of economic restructuring rendered many global spaces of capital more susceptible to alternative uses, the 2008 ‘credit crunch’ may be associated with their augmentation. Evidence from Glasgow indicates that investors are attempting to spend their way out of the ‘credit crunch’ through expanding the use value of existing sites rather than ‘giving them up’ for alternative uses or simply abandoning them. This expansion also projects a wider urban renewal discourse, which blights less profitable areas in the city centre. Glasgow’s Paddy’s Market is one area which has been targeted in such a way and subsequently projected as a ‘crime ridden midden’ by the City Council who are demanding higher rent levels. I conclude that this pervasive naturalization of market discipline ruptures the relationship between urban space and belonging.

		YHTEYDENOTTO COPYRIGHT