Neoliberal Urbanism and the Privatization of Urban Regeneration Practices in Romania. Case Study: Iulius Town Timișoara

This article investigates the „discursive construction“ of the Iulius Town real estate development in Timișoara, Romania firstly by applying a critical discourse analysis of the discursive commitments of the property developer, and secondly by conducting a critical spatial analysis of the built environment. The results indicate the project is prone to exacerbate certain unsustainable environmental and social risks, contrary to the developer’s stated ‘urban regeneration’ claims. The critical spatial analysis also highlights that this privatized urban regeneration exercise effectively leads to a repurposed „right to the city“ supporting the establishment of public spaces with built-in for-profit purposes, in line with the neoliberal assumption that the fundamental priority of development should be consumption and economic growth.