From the Global City to the Global City Making. The European and (Latin) American Capitals of Culture

Abstract

In a context of reinforced interurban competition, merit-based tools – labels, prizes, honors – have become instruments for promoting urban innovation and disseminating good practices. Initiated by the European Capital of Culture (1985), the global spread of cultural capital models aligns with neoliberal urban policies, merging political, cultural, and economic logics. A decolonial approach to policy mobilities should pay particular attention to the locus in which ideas are produced, recognizing asymmetries and historical socio-economic conditionings. This is particularly relevant to the (Latin) American Capital of Culture (2000). I argue that the “capital of culture” phenomenon is a political instrument inscribed within the macro-paradigm of neo-modernization ideology, which serves the city models based on the hegemonic urban imaginaries of creative, innovative, and smart cities. I focus on competing cultural definitions and conflicting urban imaginaries.