Urban Policy

Urban policy refers, broadly, to the numerous ways in which national or federal governments implement programs that affect the nature of cities, including modes and priorities of financing municipalities, strategic planning to stimulate urban economic growth, attempts to combat uneven regional development or encourage cooperation among local governments, control over negative externalities such as destruction of the natural environment, targeted subsidies for specific problems (e.g., homelessness), and political restrictions on the autonomy of the local state. As such, urban policy is closely related—but not identical—to urban and regional planning efforts. There is typically no single national urban policy, but aggregations of many different policies, some of which may work at cross-purposes, with varying effects over space and time. Because the capitalist city is not simply the product of market forces, but also of the state, urban policy plays a critically important role in shaping urban space and the quality of life within it.

Most “urban” policies are not specifically called urban; rather, they affect cities indirectly, such as when they address issues such as infrastructure, transportation, urban labor and housing markets, environmental problems (e.g., water supplies, air pollution), energy use and availability, and so forth. Policies aimed at specific economic sectors, such as protectionism for manufacturing firms, have uneven urban impacts; similarly, immigration controls differentially affect the supply of labor in urban space. Indeed, virtually all government policies have implicit, if not explicit, urban consequences, such as tax laws, land use controls, and anti-poverty programs.

Urban policy is both deeply political and geographical in nature. Far from being politically neutral, urban policies reflect the interests of multiple constituencies and stake-holders, including corporate interests, different social classes, various groups in civil society, and different factions within the state. Although urban policy often caters to hegemonic interests, it is important to view it as a contested arena in which different political interests and discourses jockey for influence. Additionally, because urban policy varies among and within countries, because it shapes urban space in different ways, urban policy is also profoundly spatial in nature.

This entry begins by noting variations in urban policy among countries; next, it briefly summarizes Keynesian urban policy that dominated in the early to mid 20th century; then, it focuses on neoliberalism and its impacts concerning how governments treated urban areas. Next, the entry discusses the implications of these trends for local planning efforts. It concludes with comments concerning urban policy in the developing world.