Critique of the Aesthetics of Late Capitalism in Urban Design: From City Branding to the Erosion of Authentic Experience

Abstract

Contemporary cities have undergone a significant transformation under the conditions of late capitalism, shifting from socially lived environments toward symbolic, competitive, and experience-oriented spatial systems. The aim of this study is to critically examine the role of aesthetics in contemporary urban design and to analyze how cities are transformed into cultural-economic brands and how this transformation affects authentic urban experience. Adopting a theoretical-analytical approach grounded in critical urban studies, theories of spatial production, and city branding literature, the study investigates the relationship between urban aesthetics, economic power, and lived experience. Findings indicate that within late capitalist urbanism, urban design functions as a strategic instrument for image production, capital attraction, and perception management. Aesthetics has evolved from an artistic concern into an economic and ideological mechanism shaping urban development. Through storytelling, symbolic representation, and spatial standardization, city branding commodifies urban space, redefining value in terms of visibility, attractiveness, and symbolic consumption. Consequently, urban environments increasingly operate as curated experiential landscapes rather than arenas of spontaneous social interaction. While branding strategies may stimulate economic regeneration and global competitiveness, they simultaneously contribute to spatial homogenization, weakening collective memory and eroding authentic urban experience. The study argues that the central challenge of contemporary urban design lies in balancing global economic demands with the preservation of human-centered urban life. The conclusion emphasizes the need for rethinking urban design practices through participatory planning, cultural diversity preservation, and the reintegration of lived experience into spatial governance, enabling cities to remain both economically competitive and socially meaningful environments.