Resumo AbstractThe article comparatively analyzes contemporary urban development processes of medium-sized cities taking into account the restructuring process in the context of economic liberalization occurred from the 1990s to 2011. The empirical basis consisted of three medium-sized cities in the state of São Paulo: Piracicaba, Bauru and Rio Claro. The data on economic development and public spending showed the predominance of business interests in the management of these cities with the purpose of making them attractive for private investment occasioning urban entrepreneurship. On the one hand, this scenario is connected to the emptying of the state and its urban and regional development policies and on the other hand, there is the new leading role of municipalities in the effort to readjust their productive structures to attract private enterprises.