- Infiltrating Globalization to Cities and Identities as a Challenging Paradigm    110 kb by    Polat, Erkan | erkanp@mmf.sdu.edu.tr    Short Outline The paper will trace the history and the development of the concept of “glocalization”. It will trace the roots of the Turkish concept and its use in sociological and planning discussions. Abstract This paper examines the evolution and transformation of the concept of globalization highlighting the tangled relationship between the discipline of urban planning and globalization. The paper will also trace the history and the development of the concept of “glocalization”. This paper will trace the roots of the Turkish concept and its use in sociological and planning discussions. The paper will also examine in broad terms concepts, theories and paradigms in planning and design. The paper will also touch on the problems of the application of the urban planning concepts developed in the western planning and social scientific discourses in the local contexts such as Turkey. No matter who coined it first, at the dawn of the 21st century globalization as a concept, as a slogan, as a term is used more frequently than any other terms. In Turkey, from the inflow of foreign capital, technology, workers or “foreign talents”, music, movies, popular culture, cities almost everything has resonance with globalization. Globalization is a heroic process, globalization is a sinister process, depending on which side of the debate one stands. Some tend to see globalization as a brakeless train crushing everything in its path, others see benefit in getting on board the train towards economic growth and modernization. Turkey’s development experience, which was underpinned by appropriate science and technology policies, provides a convincing example of the effectiveness of glocalization as a conscious development strategy. Although the strategy was not always perfect and there were lapses from time to time but on the whole Turkey has shown that cultural fusion can be an asset if properly harnessed for the objective of attaining socioeconomic growth without creating gross inequality and social dislocation. The urban concepts of globalization in general and glocalization in particular can be of great value in understanding the dynamic social transformation in Turkey and cities. It is always possible to be carried away with “methodological nationalism”, a position that says each country or city society should be examined in light of its own context through the devices of its own homegrown methodology. Such a position would lead to intellectual closure foreclosing dialogue and understanding between societies. In the globalized world such discourses have limited value. Yet, it is important to take the local context and variables and not to fall into the trap of blind imitation or aping of western ideas and concepts. However, in the end what is needed is a set of globally valid concepts that will help us examine processes of social transformation that is inextricably connected with global transformation. Keywords Glocalization, urban planning, identity, globalization Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2006: Cities between Integration and Disintegration   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper