Wednesday, November 4th, 2015 Urban Boosterism in Closed Contexts: The ‘Magical State’ and Spectacular Urbanization in Three Caspian Capitals

Description

“Build it and they will come” – this cliché is the centerpiece of urban boosterism. It is central to how urban planners and elites around the world have sought to justify development schemes that lack an obvious demand. While the logic underpinning urban boosterism hinges on a high degree of openness and freedom of movement – both for capital and people – it is a tactic increasingly being used in nondemocratic and otherwise illiberal states. Through a case study of urban boosterism in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan – three resource-rich states around the Caspian Sea – this talk considers how state leaders have adopted urban boosterism in their capital cities, and with what effect. This is an increasingly important task as a growing number of urban planners in nondemocratic, but resource-rich, countries seek to develop spectacular new urban landscapes and position their cities as “world class” hubs for international mega-events, business, etc. A focus on political geography challenges commonplace narratives about the hegemony of neoliberalism in urban boosterism, and shows how boosterist narratives can be re-deployed in such contexts to promote the image of a benevolent and “magical state,” as well as solidifying authoritarian political configurations and a selective engagement with market capitalism.