The Consequences of Globalization On Urban Planning in Cities of the Developing World

What is Globalization?

Most research available has been focused mainly on urban land use planning with an emphasis on city aesthetics administration, the need for conservation, and preservation of the city's natural and cultural resources (Oduwaye, 2013). Unfortunately, there has been an absence of research on the relationships between the city land-use pattern and global economic policies (Oduwaye, 2013).  Globalization and some economic perceptions or thoughts have been the new way of development for the world. Globalization can be said to be an attempt to incorporate all countries in one commercial unit, possibly without governments or borders (Peter & van Kempen, 2000). The term globalization can also mean 'international integration.' It is a process through which the diverse world unifies into a single society.

Globalization has been taking place since history began, and it has resulted in the formation of a globalized network and spatially concentrated human settlements and infrastructural configurations (Brenner & Keil, 2014). Globalization has functioned without geographic boundaries. It's as if the entire world were a local marketplace that involves goods and services, economic capital, technology, and data and, in effect, has caused the global restructuring of governance in many countries. According to Henry and Springborg, 2001, Globalization is one of the forces determining the spatial of cities and power "not coming into play for the first time in the recent period. It must be seen as the extension of forces already present over a much more extended period” (Henry & Springborg, 2001). The process of Globalization has reached far and wide to all cities of the world and has a pronounced effect on large settlements in cities.  

According to Haggag (n.d.), there are also countervailing interpretations of Globalization, which emphasise its critique. These ideological uses of the concept of Globalization themselves have spread around the world and become part of the political agenda for politicians on the international scale (Haggag, n.d.).

Consequences of Globalization on Urban Planning

Globalization leads to urbanization. According to the United Nations Center for Human Settlements, in 1990, there were only four cities with a population over 100,000 or more. In 1961 there were 141 cities, and today the world population is increasing at the rate of 1.3 percent per annum in the period 1995-2000 (Bianca, 2000). Cities have been subject to constant changes, which may be due to development, crisis, setbacks, or even extinction. The organizational and economic structure of the city is a consequence of the era in which the town developed. Often, this development is anarchic and fragmented according to the facilities available (Newman & Thornley, 2000). This section will look at the consequences of Globalization on urban planning in the Arab cities, Johannesburg, and China.

-         Arab Cities:

In most modern cities of Arab countries, the Western Models of urban patterns filtered through Europe's colonial development activities. It was during the Renaissance period that western ideologies for urban planning started to drift to the Arab countries. By 1920, large parts of the Arab world were in western hands, and this transformation contradicted the Arab traditional way of life. Literature shows that there have not been any severe debates to contest why this situation was allowed to go on, and most Arab countries have accepted what was introduced. There is an almost complete break or split between the structure of the traditional urban designs and the imported western-style environment (Bianca, 2000).

 

As stated in Haggag's research, "Impact of Globalisation on Urban Spaces," the Western-type apartment houses and public buildings started lining the street fronts of new districts. Even the French and Italian were permitted to use spaces, and they were established in many Arab cities. Architects and planners from the western countries were assigned to do outstanding architectural and urban projects. This trend also influenced provincial capitals such as Aleppo, Damascus, or Baghdad, where the Ottoman administration established new western-type municipalities to supervise urban development. Saad Zaghloul street in Alexandria, a shopping constructed before the first World War, is reminiscent of western colonial architecture.

Arab cities soon began to adopt the modern way/ western thoughts of planning thoroughly and lost sight of their traditional ideas. Many of the Arab urban designs resemble blueprints and layouts of plans from differing cultures. This, of course, was a significant limitation to the built environment and seemed to pull from Le Corbusier's concept of the "Radiant City" in which it encouraged followers from all over the world to adopt its thoughts and ideas. His theory attempted to hide the arrangement of the industrial age with the revival of historical styles.

Current changes in the economic and social conditions throughout the Middle East are more profound than before. According to Anthony Keit (2010), the region is undergoing a transition from traditional economies and societies to one of modern development, which has yet to find any real stability. This is most clear and most evident in the field of urban design and planning. Persons who have visited or are currently residing in the Middle East can point to the changes brought about through growth and transition, whether it is in the form of the built environment, the dominance of the automobile in the cities' transportation networks, or the increase in squatter communities and people at the edges of the town (Ayeni, 1979).

-         Johannesburg

The consequence of Globalization on Johannesburg has established the fact that, like the Arab cities, it has had significant changes. 'Joburg' went from being an urban industrial complex linked to the gold mines of Witwatersrand to a service economy. It can be considered a well-established city and has done a pretty good job of attracting international investment and regional offices of major companies. However, the same globalization forces have also entrenched many of the exclusionary features ingrained in Joburg's history. Observers of the impacts of Globalization on cities have shown that development was not distributed evenly, and often entrenches existing patterns of social and spatial segregation and fragmentation (Harrison, Huchzermeyer, Mayekiso, 2003). 

Many scholars are challenging how Globalization plays out in cities. This is because the rules of Globalization do not always remain true or the same for towns in Developing Countries. These cities need to deal with issues such as rapid urbanization, crumbling infrastructure, income inequality, fragmented cities, and weak institutional capacity (Making of cities, 2016). 

Joburg has sought to introduce commercial infrastructure projects as a priority. There is a tendency towards what is known as 'splintering urbanism' and becomes an acute problem when economic growth projects are prioritized above poverty reduction, inclusive growth, inclusivity, and equity (Making of Cities, 2016). 

-         China

China has been experiencing a rapid rate of urbanization. The impact of Globalization has caused new features in China's urban spatial system. Many cities have prioritized and developed tremendously in their international and regional importance. Firstly, big high-level companies have established their headquarters in major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Qingdao

New features have emerged in China's urban spatial system due to the impact of Globalization. This enhances the city's economic dominance and places great importance on where they are located.

Secondly, densely urbanized regions have been developing at a rapid pace along the coastal areas of China. The three central densely urbanized areas are the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region (Xiaojiang, 2006). These regions have become the most progressive and competitive economies that dominate the development orientation of the country.

Thirdly, in Li Xiaojing's speech, he outlines the fact that industries are prospering in small cities and towns. Globalization has caused many small towns and villages along the coast to benefit directly from worldwide production because they have absorbed a lot of surplus labour from the countryside and helped develop the rural economy.

Fourthly, the growth of export-oriented industries in China has led to the economy depending heavily on exports. This means that the coastal cities have significantly developed, and companies that may be in the same business but are located inland are suffering and lost their advantage. Growth for inland businesses has decreased, and this led to the employment rate dropping and even industrial degradation.

There is a rapid change in the urban form in most developing cities. Globalization has many positive and negative effects on urban spaces, and good urban governance and management are one of the main pillars of sustainable cities. The issue of Globalization has highlighted the main consequences, which are:

-   The use of advanced communication and transportation technology that enables the concentration of wealth in the few business or people that dominate in society. Increased both our technology and our social knowledge

-     Citizen participation in planning and local government has been on the increase almost everywhere in the world. More persons are becoming involved in the urban planning sector since Globalization includes more factors that affect people other than urban design.

 

References

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Haggag, M. A. (n.d.). The impact of Globalization on urban spaces in Arab cities. Retrieved from http://www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB5930.pdf

Harrison, P., Huchzermeyer, M., Mayekiso, M. (eds). (2003). Confronting fragmentation: housing and urban policy in democratising society. Cape Town: UCT Press. [Electronic Copy].

Henry, C, and Springborg, R. (2001). Globalization and the politics of development in theThe Middle East. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Electronic Copy].

Keit, A. (2014). Arab culture and urban form. Focus, 8(1), pp. 13-18. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9837/4245516675da7db383f895dee7be8849c272.pdf

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Peter, M., and van Kempen, R. (1999). Globalizing cities: is there a new spatial order? Oxford: Blackwell. [Electronic Copy].

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