The cultural hegemony of the global places: between relegation and the local claim. The case of Valencia

Abstract

This paper discusses how the hegemony of the global place (glolugar), the paradigmatic figure of the urban neoliberal processes, has implied a certain model of cultural policy and urban development. This model has been developed in the project of City of the Arts and of the Sciences, in Valencia City. The cultural hegemony of the glolugar cannot be understood without framing it in a global trend since it is the extension of the neoliberal urbanism. In this frame, the city is conceived as a competitive entity in a global space that promotes the commoditization of urban space and the entrepreneurial attitude in the local public management. From the analysis of the City of the Arts and of the Sciences, we will investigate the links between neoliberal urbanism, cultural politics and city model. Nevertheless, we will show how the struggles against these neoliberal policies of the glolugar there has been conforming in the popular neighborhoods some socio-cultural actions, to counteract this gentrifying trend and to propose an alternative culture and urban planning.