Mohammad Hassan Razavi; Mozaffar Sarrafi; Jamile Tavakoli-nia; Mohammad Taghi Razavian
Abstract
Extended Abstract
1- INTRODUCTION
Globalization as a meta-process or a set of processes is largely accepted as free movement of capitals, goods, people, technologies, ideas, etc., all over the world. This “time-space compression” and formation of “space of flow” is changing our understanding ...
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Extended Abstract
1- INTRODUCTION
Globalization as a meta-process or a set of processes is largely accepted as free movement of capitals, goods, people, technologies, ideas, etc., all over the world. This “time-space compression” and formation of “space of flow” is changing our understanding of contemporary world, or in a better word, it compels us to think seriously about new ontology of space. At the same time, it is a fact that we are living in an urban era. Nowadays we can speak about “planetary urbanization”, and we can ask if there is any space which is not urban. No matter what we name them; concept, phenomenon, historical event or [meta]process, cities become the place of globaliztion. This leads to creat a body of studies in the urban domain. It is proclaimed that Iran, as a so-called developing oil-exporting country, with adherence to ideological government, is not part of this global space of flows or “Actually Existing Neoliberalism”. But it is possible to say that a process which compels us with a new ontology to space does not affect Iranian cities. We say NO. Hence, in this paper, the relationship between the globalization and Iranian cities raises a question. Then, the main question of this paper is as follows:
Q: How does globalization affect Iranian cities?
2-METHODOLOGY
This paper is a theoretical one. We used discourse analysis in order to answer the research question. On the other hand, we used the spatial distribution of urban mega-project in Mashhad as the second most populated city of Iran to show the theoretical framework in an actual existing policy in an Iranian city. For the spatial analysis, we used Spatial Autocorrelation in software such as ArcGIS and GeoDa.
3- RESULTS & DISCUSSION
It’s a belief that Iran is not part of the global space of flows. The minimum share of global capital circulation (Foreign Direct Investment is only 2 percent of Gross Fixed Capital formation in Iran) and the fact that Iran was ranked among the lowest countries in globalization indexes indicates its present position. Hence, Iranian cities are not considered as an actor in the global scale; none of the Iranian cities are in the world city network. Rennie Short named Tehran as a ‘Black Hole’; it is among eleven cities which met three criteria: they had a population of over 3 million, were not identified by GAWC as a world city and did not share their national territory with a world city.
There is a body of studies related to the globalization and cities in Iran. Most of them are dedicated to the dominant literature. They study the position of the Iranian cities in different rankings. They, generally, persist in the necessity of improving the position of Iranian cities in the global ladder of global cities. As a result, we can see ‘urban reconstruction for globalization’ as the key agenda for urban planners and city authorities in Iran. Some others conclude the fact that Iranian cities are not part of space of flows is rooted in the Constitution, because it represents specific geo-political code which limits the capacity of cities to play an active role in space of flow and it is why Short put Tehran amongst “Resisting Cities”.
This conception of globalization, which itself is discursive, based on some statements. It is necessary to reconstruct the city for globalization and it is one of the most important statements in today’s urban planning in Iran. We can claim that this statement is the “planning habitus” amongst Iranian planners and city authorities in Iran.
4- CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS
The dominant discourse of globalization, which is called as globalization of neoliberalism discourse, presents a linear-scalar interpretation. This discourse of globalization is shaping planning habitus amongst Iranian city authorities and planners. Iranian cities reconstructing based on globalization flow is a key statement for this discourse. Based on this common sense or habitus, cities compete to attract different form of capitals. On the mentioned statement, it is reasonable to accept that building “high-tech global trade zones” and “investing urban mega-projects” could help the process. This process will result in raising the position of Iranian cities among global cities. In this atmosphere, Islamic ideology and oil revenue are important issues in urban network of Iranian cities, for instance latter one play a major role in financing urban mega-projects.
All we have discussed here was about globalization and global scale. But local scale is also important. It is clearl that local communities continue to obtain political potential in the age of globalized power. Hence, the distinction between the “local” and the “global” as separate scalar fields remains problematic, as matters of the shifting boundary between a territorial inside and a territorial outside or as “in here” and “out there”.
Globalization and new communicational networks offer the potential of “action at a distance” and therefore we can suggest new type of community titled “distanciated community” in the “open source neighborhoods”. We could, thus, see localities as the sites of intersection and juxtaposition of new spatio-temporalities with older ones. Then we can speak about globalization in Iran Cities in different way (beyond studying Iranian cities in hierarchy of globalized city or studying APS spatial distribution).
mohammad soleimani; mohammadreza hafeznia; morteza ghorchi; Hossein mohammadian
Abstract
1. Introduction
By the passage of the industrial revolution and entrance to the post-industrial era, the change and variety in the functions of capitalistic powers, ICT revolution, and the speeding up of globalization after the 1960s have brought about renewal of the operational, spatial, and managerial ...
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1. Introduction
By the passage of the industrial revolution and entrance to the post-industrial era, the change and variety in the functions of capitalistic powers, ICT revolution, and the speeding up of globalization after the 1960s have brought about renewal of the operational, spatial, and managerial structures of cities. In line with the mentioned changes, the structural changes resulted from globalization, diminish the role of government-nation, from meaningful economic players or units to mediators facilitating “local” and “universal” relationships, and lead to the appearance of new universal players and powers, called local governments. This is the basis of the development of city roles in the new universal geography and their influence on the urban currents and hierarchies in the world. In such situations, the governments’ (federal and local) strategies and plans for achieving an appropriate standing and the city role shave exceeded local levels and attained universal positions. Attaining appropriate standing in universal urban networks relies on meeting required standards in their various components. The present study explains the globalization of metropolis local government, while emphasizing the role of urban infrastructures.
2. Methodology
The present study is carried out theoretically based on the descriptive-analytic method. The purpose of this study is to explain the theoretical framework of urban infrastructure roles in the globalization of metropolis through the agency of metropolis local government. Therefore, we reviewed the literature related to the globalization and the urban globalization processes, and the comparison between metropolis infrastructures and universal cities. Also the role of urban infrastructures in the globalization processes of cities, the relationship between the importance of urban infrastructures and urban development, and the facilitated process of city globalization, besides the role of local government as the regulator of local spaces and the major factor in local development was investigated.
3. Discussion
Appropriate infrastructure, facilities and equipment are among the requirements of the realization of urban growth and development. Urban infrastructures, which are one of the strongest symbols and representations of the material culture or the material dimension of the universalized local government’s urban structure, contain a broad range from big airports with aerial functions, advanced transportation networks, advanced information-communication infrastructures (telecommunication, Internet), cultural and educational centers with universal reputation, and professional sport infrastructures to architectural works with universal brands. From the perspective of the geographers, one of the most interesting consequences of infrastructure equipment is the distance developed between sectors, urban areas, and the public; on the other hand,, distance reduction and diminished local dimension as the products of a spectrum of social-spatial evolutions resulting from scientific and technical advances (from phone to Internet) have been realized. Therefore, the study and investigation of infrastructures that lead to decreased distances and temporal and local jams are of great importance to most of geographers. These studies are indicative of the appearance of a new stage of globalization and enhanced integration among countries due to increased temporal-local jams. To achieve the focal business status in the regional multinational centers, the universal local governments actively entered into a new course of urban infrastructure developments. In its new course, the infrastructure development contained telecommunication (telematics) development and the communication in the form of communicative establishments and transportation.
4. Conclusion
Local governments as the regulators of local spaces with special local services play their roles at local and transnational levels for the purpose of development, control, and regulation of geographical, social, and economic development of local regions. As the most important political-official players, they shape the form and content of cities at local, national, and transnational scales. Therefore, the local development emphasizes the advanced urban infrastructures such as big airports with aerial functions, advanced transportation networks, advanced information-communication infrastructures (telecommunication, Internet),cultural and educational centers with universal reputation, professional sport infrastructures, and creation of architectural works with universal brands. Moreover, achievement of required standards for realization of universal processes and the value of universal city is an essential duty of local governments in the current age; this results in the integration of cities in different continents within the communicative networks of universal cities, and confirms the role of the hierarchical complex of infrastructural networks in the integrations and national and physical relationships at transnational scales.
