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The urban effects of the emerging middle class in the global south
Author(s) -
Short John Rennie,
Martínez Lina
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geography compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.587
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 1749-8198
DOI - 10.1111/gec3.12484
Subject(s) - middle class , urbanism , situated , realm , geography , middle income , politics , consumption (sociology) , economic geography , urban studies , population , global south , global city , categorization , sociology , political science , economic growth , social science , demographic economics , economics , architecture , demography , archaeology , artificial intelligence , computer science , law , philosophy , epistemology
This article explores the implications of a growing middle‐income population on the cities of the global South. The emergence of this group, situated between the poor and the very rich, long the standard binary categorization of understanding the global urban South, has important implications for physical reconfigurations and changing social structures. We discuss the reasons behind the rise of this middle‐income category, note some of its characteristics and review its urban impacts. We focus on just three themes: new consumption patterns, housing markets and, urban politics. We contribute to broader theories of global urbanism by highlighting how an expanding middle‐income‐class are shaping and configuring a new urban realm in the global South.