From the network city to the neo-liberal city

Network Cities: Globalization and Urban Transformation in Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen aims to probe relationships between planning discourses, planning practices and urban transformations. By bringing together practitioners and academics we aim at focussing the discussion on developments in the three Schandinavian capitals, namely Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen. Relationships between urban transformations and global networks (economic, cultural, informational), are closely related to considerations by planners, decision makers and academics about themes such as the competition between cities, the forging of regional identities, the impact of information technologies on urban development, the development of networked infrastructures (transport, telecommunications) and spatial consequences such as the changing status of public space, social polarization, amongst others. The central purpose of this conference is to ground a discussion of the above themes on problems and challenges faced by planners and decision-makers from the above-mentioned Scandinavian capital cities. Invited planners are asked to make presentations on current urban transformation trends in those cities in the light of the above-mentioned themes. What concrete issues are they facing in their day-to-day practice? What is the impact of global economies on urban development and planning in each of these cities? How are urban transformations taking place, such as urban restructuring, the implementation of new infrastructure and key urban development projects? In doing so, we would like to move the discussion from a normative perspective, which prescribes what cities "should" to a diagnosis of current urban development trends and conditions.