Beyond the Facade

One of the statements in The Politics of the Envelope by Alejandro Zaera Polo that stuck with me is:

“The contemporary city is built for corporations run by administrative boards for multinational shareholders’ interests.”

This relates so well with Greenville and how its urban identity is represented with many nationalities due to corporations setting up shop in the upstate. I find it very fascinating how international manufacturers can change the dynamics of a city beyond the politics. What happens with society when international corporations expand beyond their borders and transition into a “globalized” company? It’s intriguing to observe how a host city changes as well; different cultures are represented, they intertwine with the city and a city’s identity is influenced by it.

One example is the BMW manufacturing plant in Greer. It is the only BMW plant in the United States and was opened in 1994 as a business strategy to expand international production. Today, it’s not uncommon to interact with BMW German employees who either relocated from the States or relocated directly from Germany if you live around Greer and the Pelham Road area. It’s a very unique experience to be able to identify how a city is evolving due to globalization and to be able to trace the different capitalistic turning points that make up the DNA of a place, regardless of the shareholders and owners intentions.