Spaces & Flows: Ninth International Conference on Urban and ExtraUrban Studies

Abstract

Urban megaprojects are emerging worldwide as a relatively recent urban trend, applauded by both governments and private sector. These developments are at the core of cities re-imaging and marketing. Although the contexts of these projects may differ, particularly at the socio-economic and political level, they feature common characteristics. Specific management methods, tailored regulatory frameworks, and complex partnerships are some of their characteristics. More interestingly, there is a strong similarity in the design and models of these projects, circulated across large cities and metropolises. In fact, a number of studies addressing the international firms involved in the design of these projects has revealed the extensive circulation of experts between the firms’ offices spread worldwide. This paper examines how mobile experts and large firms in the domain of urban design are contributing to the circulation of models and knowledge, and to what extent these projects are at the same time the product of local and international factors (a glocal object as by some scholars). It focuses on two case studies, Dubai and Beirut, through surveying relevant cases of megaprojects and international firms, examining the channels and processes through which expertise and models are circulated