Urbanization

I don’t spend a lot of time looking back, but this week I’ve been thinking a great deal about my dissertation  which was published almost twenty-five years ago. Triggered by recent headlines detailing a drone strike in the middle of Isfahan, Iran, the royal city of Shah Abbas the Great, I’ve been looking at what I got right, and even more at what I got wrong. In my past … [Read more...] about Cold War Cities Redux: Isfahan, Taipei, and Havana

Isfahan was clearly influenced by Cold War forces, particularly during the years 1960 - 1978. As a close ally of the United States, the city's post World War II urban development transpired in the Cold War context. Most decisions regarding the urban environment were independent ones. However, American involvement in two specific events -- covert action in 1953 and the White … [Read more...] about Cold War Isfahan 1960 – 1978: A Wrap Up

World Cities Embedded in the "world city" argument is the idea that world cities "lie at the junction between the world economy and the territorial nation state." If so, it is probable that this junction does not result in a tight and impenetrable boundary. Rather it is possible that the on-going conflict for dominance between the two forces -- the nation state and powers … [Read more...] about COLD WAR CITIES: CONTESTING THE GLOBAL (PART 2)

The Nation Invades the City At the same time that the United States and the Soviet Union were competing for power and influence, scholars worldwide began to debate a contest between the global and the local that was perceived to be surfacing in metropolitan arenas throughout the less developed world. This conflict, captured by some in the idea of urban social inversion, … [Read more...] about COLD WAR CITIES: CONTESTING THE GLOBAL

Structural Adjustment and Stabilization Policies The introduction of structural adjustment and stabilization policies (SAPs) led to new strategies for development which many argued disproportionately affected urban dwellers, particularly women. Some have asserted that the changes in labor practices and the erosion of real wages which accompanied SAPs initiated a … [Read more...] about COLD WAR CITIES: ECONOMIC STABILIZATION