International Engagement as a Tool of Urban Management

As cities grow as transnational actors and urban areas are becoming increasingly globalized, this has had a profound impact on the way that urban settlements are managed. This chapter explores the challenges of managing urban settlements within the multi-scalar realities of an urbanized and globalized planet, particularly reflecting on how international engagement is mobilized to drive local solutions in areas such as sustainable development. It begins by detailing the impacts of urbanization and globalization under liberal economic hegemony that fueled a shift towards urban entrepreneurialism as a dominant logic of urban governance. It then describes how this concept links to the rise of the ‘global city’, as both a byproduct, but also a flawed paragon of urban development, which characterizes cities as the site of global processes but rarely as agents with an active role to play in global affairs. Finally, it details how the emerging literature on city diplomacy has begun to better recognize the importance of international engagement as an essential tool for modern urban management.