Chasing World-Class Urbanism

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What makes some cities world class? This designation increasingly reflects a toolkit of urban planning practices and policies circulating globally. Strategies such as establishing creative districts for technology and design, greening streets, and reinventing historic areas as tourist attractions were employed to build a competitive Buenos Aires after its 2001 economic crisis. In this account, Jacob Lederman examines what these efforts reveal about evolving city planning practices and why local officials pursue a similar vision of world-class urbanism. He investigates the influence of Northern NGOs and multilateral agencies on a prominent city in the global South, using empirical data, observations, and interviews with urban planners and street vendors to assess the impact of transnational best practices on city dwellers. His research also documents resistance from residents and how local institutions can undermine top-down plans. Lederman highlights the paradoxes of world-class urbanism: while international agencies emphasize nonmarket values like sustainability and inclusion, local officials often resort to market-centric solutions. Despite progressive rhetoric, these planning goals frequently lead to increased social, economic, and geographic stratification. This work serves as a guide to the intersections of culture, ideology, and the realities of life in a major Latin American city, illuminating the tension between techno