Neoliberal Urban Policy, Aspirational Citizenship and the Uses of Cultural Distinction

Abstract

Drawing on the example of the UK, this chapter argues that the principal aim of neoliberal urban policy is to create less welfare dependent, more entrepreneurial, and responsible citizens through the establishment of new urban cultures and high-aspirational urban spaces. The chapter begins by discussing the work of Pierre Bourdieu and his concept of distinction. It then moves on to an assessment of British urban policy and the recent turn to a discourse of ‘aspirational citizenship’. It explores its uses as both a description of, and an explanation for, growing socio-economic inequalities in cities. In this way, the chapter argues, policy not only reproduces inequalities but also provides an individualised explanation for their existence and perpetuation. The chapter concludes by highlighting future research avenues and the value in re-thinking the cultural politics of neoliberal urban policy.