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We live in an age of extreme and worsening urban inequality. One result is the increased prevalence of “VIP urbanism”—the idea that cities govern land use through two sets of rules, one of them reserved for “very important people”. The first set of rules applies to most urbanites, through de jure laws and standardized bureaucratic policies. However, in many places a second set of practices operates quietly alongside the official rules, as a de facto system of loopholes, easements, exemptions, lobbying, and veto power that enable some actors to shape cities in ways that violate the spirit—and sometimes even the letter—of the law. This special issue presents empirical research and theoretical commentary on the VIP urbanism phenomenon, with cases including Bengaluru, Hong Kong, Milan, New York City, Paris, Valparaiso, and Venice. The authors identify how preferential treatment for elites has impacted urban governance in a diverse geography of cities, and evaluate how these practices have been contested by social movements and other urban stakeholders. 

Many cities have a two-tiered system for governing land: one set of rules for most people, and a different set for elite investors, large developers, and others who can bend, circumvent, or lobby against the rules. This reflects elite capture of urban institutions, as institutions are subverted to benefit special interests. We argue elite capture plays a systemic role in 21st century urban political economy. We review recent scholarship on four kinds of elite capture practices—rent seeking, opportunity hoarding, exploiting loopholes, and co-opting participatory planning—and illustrate them with a discussion of recent gentrification research.