Competing Cities and Spectacularizing Urban Landscapes

This chapter discusses a limited set of urban spectacles, namely those designed by star architects. Over the last decade, increasing attention has been given to the role of architectural celebrities not only in designing buildings and complexes or in regenerating urban areas, but also in relation to city branding and marketing. The narrative of the ‘Bilbao effect’ has spread widely in both postindustrial and ‘emerging’ economies , leading cities apparently to compete in the matter of ‘collecting’ new buildings and cultural facilities, sometimes with little regard for the functions of these infrastructures and edifices both in their urban context and in the global market. I shall discuss this global phenomenon in the context of current urban scholarly and policy making debates and draw on examples of spectacular architecture and international cultural projects such as the ongoing urban transformation in Bilbao and the proposal for Guggenheim Museums in Europe, Asia and America. The chapter also takes up decision-making processes related to these and other branded development projects and discusses their urban implications, arguing that, although moderate success in regeneration and tourist attraction may be achieved, the high expectations of policy-makers in terms of urban regeneration and development are often not met. In addition, unbalanced and paradoxical urban effects may sometimes occur.