Urban Megaprojects Research Articles

GLOBALIZATION AND URBAN CHANGE: TALES FROM VANCOUVER VIA HONG KONG

The main aim of this article is to examine some of the sociocultural dimensions of contemporary globalization processes, especially in a "Pacific Rim" context. This broad subject is approached by using the Can$3 billion Pacific Place urban mega-project (UMP) in central Vancouver as a vehicle through which to explore the social processes structuring a trans-Pacific property transaction. I examine the key factors leading the Li Group from Hong Kong to extend their "reach" over space into Vancouver at this particular time in history. Addressing this topic entails attempting to understand (1) the business and personal dynamics of the key actors involved with such global flows of property capital, set within a broader geopolitical and geoeconomic context; (2) the meaning and significance of Vancouver to the actors, especially in the context of immigration flows to the city; and (3) the significance and multiple functions of this type of property development project—the urban mega-project—to the actors. And while this case study is not designed to be representative of the overall nature of the trans-Pacific property development process, it does highlight some important characteristics about Vancouver's changing social and political structure, as well as the need (in theoretical and methodological terms) to produce more modest and provisional accounts about the "global space of flows."

Globalization and the Production of New Urban Spaces: Pacific Rim Megaprojects in the Late 20th Century

In this paper the complex and increasingly global processes which underlie the production of contemporary urban megaprojects (UMPs) in Pacific Rim cities are examined. The UMP development process is interesting to examine because it can be viewed as a microcosm of broader general processes which are impacting cities throughout the world. After a brief overview of the key dimensions of globalization processes [the development and restructuring of the international financial system; the globalization of property markets; the changing role of the transnational corporation; the stretching of social relations, world social networks, and epistemic communities (including the overseas Chinese); and travelling and networking] contemporary urban development trends in the Pacific Rim Basin are outlined to provide a context for UMP development. Three UMPs—in Vancouver (Pacific Place), Yokohama (Minato Mirai 21), and Shanghai (Lujiazui Central Area, Pudong)—are then examined in order to tease out complexities of globalization processes and the global—local dialectic. Attention throughout the paper is focused on international linkages and global context in influencing the production of these new urban spaces—spaces often designed (at extraordinary expense) to symbolize a global urban ‘utopia’ for the 21st century.