Lecture 19 - Consumption & the City

Define ‘Urban Consumption Spaces’

Places of social, cultural and economic exchange

What is meant with ‘conspicuous consumption’?

the act of spending money on luxury goods and services to publicly display wealth and social status

• aspect of post-modern economy

how is consumption related to class formation?

Importance of appearance and aesthetics: consumption is a key tool in expressing, negotiating and reproducing class

Why is consumption important in post-modern urban economy? (3 reasons)

• profitable

• employment

• tax revenue

What does ‘the city as a ‘world of strangers’’ refer to? And what implications does it have for the design and layout of urban spaces?

Urban life is characterised by anonimity and social distance

• Therefore, shared cultural codes are necessary to prevent misunderstandings

• Implications: a degree of standardization and rationalization needed in the design & layout of spaces

What are non-places?

places with weak social identities: no historical / anthropological value

what shift did consumption spaces make

utilitarian → globalised

what changes did peripheral urbanization (as a result of the automobile) do for consumption?

• delivery service

• malls

explain the dilemma ‘new tech or labor repression?’

not sure yet

What types of places disappeared due to post-modernity?

social / public / “third” places

How did urban centres change in post-modernity

rise of ‘urban living' by new urban middle class

consumption as part of mix of functions in close proximity

more tourists and visitors -→ shopping becomes an experience

place marketing and cultural industries become important for urban economy

What is the role of the state (and planning) in shaping consumption spaces

• migration regulation

• import regulation

• tax regimes

• work & income

• zoning, permits, bestemmingsplannen

• transport & mobility

• control, police, local regulations

• place marketing

• street managers

• renewal, planning and management

what does Van Eck et al.’s concept of ‘managing diversity’ refer to?

the fact that only certain types of diversity are seen as desirable when it comes to creating an attractive consumption space

What is meant with ‘authenticity: a distance of space and time‘

refers to how authenticity is often constructed by deliberately detaching something from its original context (its actual historical time or geographical setting) to evoke a sense of uniqueness, tradition, or cultural purity.

Explain the paradox of authenticity

Its a way to articulate the emotional and utilitarian value of a space

But also a form of cultural power and a way for a group to claim space