Corporate power, urban governance and urban law

Abstract

Given the growing role played by corporate power in urban governance, this article considers how, in structuring the interplay between corporations and the local state within contemporary urban governance arrangements, urban law can enhance public values and public accountability. Drawing on examples from different cities and legal systems, the article points to the commonality of hybrid public/private governance arrangements at city-level and highlights common challenges pertaining to coordination, democratic participation and accountability. It then engages with some of the common legal underpinnings of these challenges and considers ways in which urban law may address them. These include the shaping of urban autonomy through the legal devolution of state power, the legal structuring and regulation of urban decision-making fora and governance instruments, and the horizontal application of human rights law in local governance settings.