Globalized Metropolises?An Issue of History and Memories…

Through specific examples of five different metropolises in globalization,New York,Paris,Rome,Prague and Bordeaux,the sources of prosperity and urbanity are not the same when urban history prevails in our memories or when our memories claim to write its history.Yet everything can be lived differently when both are brought together and when they write their space-time together.

Early Urban Planning of Harbin(1898-1917) by Russia: Impact of Colonialism and the Railway Economy on Emerging Cities in Modern Times

Harbin, a typical emerging colonial city in modern times, has drawn worldwide attention due to its quick transformation from a fishing village to a modern globalized metropolis. With Harbin and its urban planning from 1898 to 1917 as the subject of study from the perspective of planning historiography, this paper probes into the driving force behind Harbin's early modern urban development, historical phasing and characteristics of its urban planning, as well as evolution of planning and construction activities during this period. The findings reveal that Harbin's urban planning and construction activities were closely linked to Russia's political and economic interests and also reflected the political game between the powers led by Japan and Russia in the Manchurian region.

Locating Power and Decision-Making： Social Production of Space in Juiz de Fora, Brazil

This paper aims to discuss how the shaping of a city, Juiz de Fora, in Brazil, has resulted from the power of location of some social agents and from their disputes on the production of space. First, it introduces the concept of social production of space, emphasizing the role of social agents in urban processes. Then, it presents specific aspects of the history of Juiz de Fora＂ its origins and how social agents and forces have played a significant role in shaping the built environment of the city--specially represented by main streets of the city. The paper studies how the social agents, with their different visions and goals, have influenced the process of formation and development of the city. This demonstrates the complexity of the existing relationships between the built environment and the social context that is specific to the city. Different urban forces fight for city spaces, construct and modify its territory so that their needs are fulfilled. Their strength, their experiences and efforts, and their ideas of a city are inscribed in urban landscapes; in similar ways, these are revealed by the city paths we follow here.

Multifaceted perspective on North American urban development

This study offers a multifaceted perspective on the history and theory of North American urban development.It extends a framework that deconstructs the complex urban evolution process into the three stages of assembly,disassembly,and reassembly.Urban development is explained through planning,architectural and critical theoretical perspectives.This study examines the inextricable links among land use regulations,public policies,transportation,urban economics,and communication technologies and underlines their impacts on shaping suburbia and downtown redevelopments.It argues that today’s revived traditional cores and medium-to-high-density mixed use developments are not mere incarnations of historic urban models.Despite responding to certain real-market demands for livable and vibrant urban environments,these quasi-traditional developments are driven by globalization forces and facilitated by cutting-edge technological advancements.Using combined evidence from theoretical investigations and interviews with experienced professionals,this research demonstrates the complexity and multidimensionality of urban development processes that require in-depth understanding of current global socioeconomic and technological transformations.

The Urban “Cultural Nexus of Power”： Intellectual Elites in Shanghai and Beijing, 1900-1937

In the decades before the full-scale war with Japan in 1937, a robust series of institutions connected the bourgeois with intellectuals （which included professionals and journalists, as well as academics） in Shanghai. Collectively, these institutions can be understood as forming an urban ＂cultural nexus of power＂ that allowed non-state actors to effectively control aspects of Shanghai＇s political life. This bourgeois-intellectual alliance was not inevitable; no similar bonds existed between these same two groups in Beijing. It was forged in Shanghai due to the city＇s unique historical position as a Treaty Port and its dynamic economy, which included an extensive structure of private higher education and a market-based publishing industry. Unlike the rural ＂cultural nexus of power＂ originally described by Prasenjit Duara, this urban nexus grew stronger during the political and economic changes of the early twentieth century. War and revolution in the 1930s and 1940s, however, destroyed the connections between the bourgeoisie and the intellectuals, ending the vibrant urban environment they had created.

Newborn and Transformation:The Formation of Chinese Urban Planning Knowledge in Early Modern Times(1840-1911)

This paper focuses on urban planning knowledge and its formation in the early modern China,comparing the urban function framework defined in the Athens Charter with Chinese city development in the late Qing Dynasty,selecting"road,""park,"and"commercial port"as keywords to analyze the construction practices and historical documents,in order to sort out the basic characteristics of the formation and development of urban planning knowledge.Based on the database of Airusheng Shenbao,this paper conducts keywords-frequency statistical analysis,and verifies the public acceptance of various planning knowledge in early modern times,expecting to reveal the origin and connotation of modern urban planning in China.

Evolutional Steps toward the Post-Western/Non-Western Movement in Japan

This paper examines Japanese past from the beginning of the Meiji era until today in a historical perspective in order to make easier to understand from a post-Western/non-Western approach the processes that took place in this period of time.Initially,Japan began to adopt Western ideologies,technologies and systems to build a modern nation and to make the development of modern architecture and city planning possible.These models continued to be looked at for a long time.From the 1970s,when the years of sustained economic growth came to an end,Japanese began to dismiss the idea of reaching and overtaking the West gradually.They began to search for a Japanese identity.The richness of nature,the particular Japanese history and its specific culture developed through delicate senses were re-evaluated.At the same time,the cultural values of the historic urban space and townscape were rediscovered.Finally,the paper examines the idea and method of Machizukuri(bottom-up town-making)originated and developed thanks to the physical and social resources historically accumulated in the Japanese cities.