Budapest, Istanbul and Warsaw

How do new spatial patterns emerge in rapidly developing cities at the periphery of the advanced capitalist world? While the new spatial elements in cities are similar, the structural shifts underlying recent spatial changes are not. This study delves beneath the surface of the new urban landscapes and examines the differences in institutional backgrounds. It shows how local contingencies such as traditions, values, and power structures have steered social, economic, and political deregulation in a direction peculiar to each city. Budapest, Istanbul, and Warsaw were selected as case studies because they represent distinct responses to economic globalization under opportunity-driven market conditions. In each case, the analysis covers three major institutional transformations: the shift from municipal government to governance systems; the flexibility of urban planning; and the deregulation of finance systems in relation to their impact on the property market. Some conclusions are drawn on how cities change under the influence of economic globalization and how new spatial patterns reflect opportunity-driven market conditions. Tuna Tasan-Kok completed her Masters in Regional Planning at Middle East Technical University in Ankara – Turkey in 1996, after which she worked some years as research fellow at several research institutes in East-Central Europe. Tasan-Kok started working on her PhD at the Urban Research centre Utrecht (URU) of the Faculty of Geosciences – Utrecht University in 2001. She currently lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium.