Emerging cities of the third wave

Abstract

I argue that three distinctive waves of urbanization can be recognized, each of them associated with a major historical phase of capitalist development. The leading edges of capitalism today can be typified in terms of a basic cognitive–cultural system of production that is transforming the economic foundations of many large metropolitan areas all over the world. This turn of events is evident in two further aspects of urbanization processes at the present time. First, a new division of labor is strongly under way with major implications for the restratification of urban labor markets and urban social life. Second, the economic and social transformations currently evident in large urban areas are provoking significant changes in the physical milieu and built form of the city, from gentrification to what I call aestheticized land use intensification. I attempt to synthesize important elements of the discussion by means of a disquisition on the city and the world, in which I point to some of the more outstanding institutional failures within the current system of neoliberal local–global development.

Keywords:

• city-regions
• cognitive–cultural economy
• gentrification postfordism
• urban economy
• urbanization

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Elvin Wyly for his insightful comments on an earlier draft of this paper as well as for the excellent images and captions that accompany the published version. Any errors of fact and theoretical emphasis are my responsibility.

Notes

Not to be confused with the three urban revolutions as posited by Soja (2000).

The seven major sub-components of the index are: (1) legal and political framework; (2) economic stability; (3) ease of doing business; (4) financial flow; (5) business center; (6) knowledge creation and information flow; (7) livability.

The new servile class has many points of overlap with the so-called ‘precariat’ (Perrin, 2004; Standing, 2011; Wacquant, 2006). However, the notion of the servile class identifies a social position derived specifically from the division of labor whereas the precariat refers to a generalized syndrome of social marginality that also incorporates the unemployable, the destitute and the ‘dangerous classes’. Any attempt from a sociological or anthropological perspective to deepen the concept of third wave cities should certainly deal more explicitly with the latter social categories.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Allen J. Scott

Allen J. Scott, with images and captions by Elvin Wyly