Global city or ordinary city? Rome as a case study

The present paper debates on the factors of urban competitiveness in ‘ordinary cities’ and their links with urban planning. By analyzing the case of Rome (Italy), we examine the impact that planning practices, deriving from the mainstream literature centered on ‘global cities’, may have on cities that are not supported by an advanced system of governance. In Rome, policies promoting urban development were mainly focused on ‘global’ city models which result in the oversimplification of urban competitiveness issues. Planning strategies divorced from the present territorial context may have social and environmental effects and prove the importance of policies facing with ‘ordinary cities’ and referring to ‘ordinary geographies’.