The organizing logics of predatory formations: Disassembling democracy and urban planning

Neoliberalism propels a retreat from state supports for the population and the unfettering of privatization and profit seeking. The collapse of the Soviet Union was believed by many to be proof that Western democracy and capitalist markets had not only conquered the world, but were amongst the greatest achievements of humanity. While neoliberalism has shifted the state’s stake in the welfare of the population, the state remains important in determining and legitimating the rights of individuals and corporations to pursue a vulturine profit maximizing agenda. The disassembling effects of the gap between political inclusion and social exclusion are particularly evident in urban spaces where health and mortality rates, grocery and school options, and foreclosure signs often differ dramatically across city neighborhoods. A further effect of private profits becoming the primary benchmark for public urban projects is that there are neighborhoods in the city where profits are secured not through investment, but from disinvestment.