Urban Asia: Futures Past, Present and Yet to Come · 2018. 5. 6. · urban asia: futures past, present and yet to come workshop jointly organised by the urban aspirations research

Urban Asia: Futures Past,

Present and

Yet to Come

22 – 23 February 2016 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences National University of Singapore Organised as part of the MOE Tier 2 Grant-funded project, Aspirations, Urban Governance, and the Remaking of Asian Cities In collaboration with the Cities Cluster of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

URBAN ASIA: FUTURES PAST, PRESENT AND YET TO COME WORKSHOP JOINTLY ORGANISED BY THE URBAN ASPIRATIONS RESEARCH GROUP AND THE FASS CITIES CLUSTER, NATIONAL

UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

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URBAN ASIA: FUTURES PAST, PRESENT AND YET TO COME

JOINTLY ORGANISED BY THE URBAN ASPIRATIONS RESEARCH GROUP AND THE FASS

CITIES CLUSTER, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

VENUE:

RESEARCH DIVISION SEMINAR ROOM (AS7 06-42), AS7 SHAW FOUNDATION BUILDING

10 KENT RIDGE CRESCENT NUS KENT RIDGE CAMPUS

SINGAPORE 119260

WhaturbanfuturesdoesAsiaconjure?WhatroledoformsofthefutureplayinurbanlivesandmaterialtransformationinAsiatoday?

Untilthemiddleofthetwentiethcentury,dominantimaginingsofmanypartsofAsiawerenoturbanatall.AndtotheextentthatspecificallyurbanfutureswereimaginedforAsia,priortothepastcoupleofdecadesthesewereoftenfashionedintheimageofvarious(capitalistandcommunist)elsewheres.Today,incontrast,urbanfuturityiscommonlylocatedwithinAsia–demographically(havingbecomethe‘centreofgravity’oftheworld’surbanpopulation),economically(aspresentingmiraculousgrowthandemergingopportunity),asaleadingedgeofinnovationsinurbangovernance(subalternaswellas‘formal’),andintherealmofurbantheorization(asaregionfromwhereresponseshavebeenmadetothecallfor‘newgeographiesoftheory’).EvenEdSojawhofamouslycastgreaterLosAngelesasthemost‘advanced’formoflatetwentiethcenturyurbanism--whichcouldsupposedlybeseeninearlierstagesineveryothermetropolitanregionintheworld--laterdecentredurbantheorytocitiesinAsia:‘WecanlearnasmuchifnotmorefromunderstandingwhatishappeninginMumbai,Delhi,Singapore,andShanghaithanwecanfromLosAngeles,NewYork,London,andParis’(citedinHarris,2012:6).Similarspatio-temporalremappingisevidentinpopularculturaldepictionsofurbanfutures.MuchofthebackdroptoanLAofthe‘slight’futureinSpikeJonze’s2013movieHer,forexample,wasfilmedinShanghai.

ThisworkshopbringstogetheradiverserangeofscholarsexaminingtheurbanandAsia’sfutures–past,presentandyettocome.ExtendingfromandfundedbytheongoingSingaporeMOE-fundedresearchproject‘Aspirations,UrbanGovernanceandtheRemakingofAsianCities’,ourinterestsspan:historicalformsofAsianfuturityandassociatedlegacies;contemporary(re)imaginingsofAsianurbanfutures;andtheactive,constitutiveroleofvariousformsofthefutureinandbeyondurbanAsia.

URBAN ASIA: FUTURES PAST, PRESENT AND YET TO COME WORKSHOP JOINTLY ORGANISED BY THE URBAN ASPIRATIONS RESEARCH GROUP AND THE FASS CITIES CLUSTER, NATIONAL

UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

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DAY122FEBRUARY2016

09.30 REGISTRATION&COFFEE

10.00 OPENINGREMARKS

10.00 TimBunnell

DepartmentofGeography,NationalUniversityofSingapore

10:20–12:00 SESSION1–HERITAGEFUTURES

CHAIR&DISCUSSANT

DanielGoh

DepartmentofSociology,NationalUniversityofSingapore

SPEAKERS&PAPERS

EnvisioningFuturesPast:Spectacle,Heritage,andEmergentActivisminPostcolonialMacau

andHongKong

CeciliaChu

DepartmentofUrbanPlanningandDesign,TheUniversityofHongKong

EngineeringUrbanFutures:TheTechnopoliticsofHousinginLateSocialistVietnam

ChristinaSchwenkel

DepartmentofAnthropology,UniversityofCalifornia,Riverside,USA

GenealogyofWhiteBuilding

PenSereypagna

Cambodia,IndependentArchitect

12.00–13.00 LUNCH

URBAN ASIA: FUTURES PAST, PRESENT AND YET TO COME WORKSHOP JOINTLY ORGANISED BY THE URBAN ASPIRATIONS RESEARCH GROUP AND THE FASS CITIES CLUSTER, NATIONAL

UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

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13.00–14.20 SESSION2–HIGH-TECHSPACESANDSUBJECTS

CHAIR&DISCUSSANT

ElaineHo

DepartmentofGeography,NationalUniversityofSingapore

SPEAKERS&PAPERS

‘It’shardtohaveanymissionforthefuturebecausetheydon’tpay’:AspirationsandRealities

inIndia'sSiliconValley

RebeccaBowers

DepartmentofAnthropology,LondonSchoolofEconomics

GeographiesofFutureandSingapore’sTechnopreneurshipAspirations

ZaneKripe

FacultyofSocialandBehaviouralSciences,InstituteofCulturalAnthropologyandDevelopmentSociology,LeidenUniversity,TheNetherlands

14.20–14.50 COFFEEBREAK

15.00 NUSà HOTEL(Transportisprovided)

16.30 WALKINGTOUR

Tojointhewalk,pleasegatherat4.20PMattheLobbyarea,ParkAvenueRochesterHotel.Refertothemapformoredetailsonthewalk.ThewalkwillendwithdinneratBiopolis.

18:30 DINNER

Dinnervenue:

BodaciousRestaurant,70BiopolisStreet,#01-05,Singapore138547

*Transportfromthehotelisprovidedforthosenotattendingthewalk.

20:30 DINNERà HOTEL(Transportisavailable)

URBAN ASIA: FUTURES PAST, PRESENT AND YET TO COME WORKSHOP JOINTLY ORGANISED BY THE URBAN ASPIRATIONS RESEARCH GROUP AND THE FASS CITIES CLUSTER, NATIONAL

UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

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DAY223FEBRUARY2016

08.30 REGISTRATION&COFFEE

09.00 SESSION1-SOUTHASIANINFRASTRUCTURESOFFUTURITY

09.00–10.20 CHAIR&DISCUSSANT

TillMostowlansky

AsiaResearchInstitute,NationalUniversityofSingapore

SPEAKERS&PAPERS

CodingtheFuture:HinduExtrastatecraftandtheInfrastructuralInertiaofIndianUrbanism

AsherGhertner

DepartmentofGeography,SchoolofArtsandSciences,RutgersUniversity,USA

Thinking/planningfuturesin/beyondthecity:States,Borders,Infrastructures,Connectivities

NausheenAnwar

DepartmentofSocialSciences,InstituteofBusinessAdministration(IBA),Karachi,Pakistan

10.20–10.40 COFFEEBREAK

10.40–12.00 SESSION2-UTOPIANISM:IDEASANDEFFECTS

CHAIR&DISCUSSANT

JamieGillen

DepartmentofGeography,NationalUniversityofSingapore

SPEAKERS&PAPERS

FutureVisionsOfTokyoThatMattered:HowUtopianConceptsShapeUrbanOutcomes

AndréSorensen

DepartmentofSocialSciences,UniversityofTorontoScarborough

CreativeUrbanInterventions:RecuperatingUtopianismsinSingapore

OliviaTan

DepartmentofGeography,NationalUniversityofSingapore

12.00–13.00 LUNCH

URBAN ASIA: FUTURES PAST, PRESENT AND YET TO COME WORKSHOP JOINTLY ORGANISED BY THE URBAN ASPIRATIONS RESEARCH GROUP AND THE FASS CITIES CLUSTER, NATIONAL

UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

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13.00–14.20 SESSION3-GROUND-LEVELPOLITICS

CHAIR&DISCUSSANT

EricThompson

DepartmentofSociology,NationalUniversityofSingapore

SPEAKERS&PAPERS

NoFutureHere:(Non)FuturesinThailand

EliElinoff

AsiaResearchInstitute,NationalUniversityofSingapore

OpenSecrets:TrackingthePoliticalinChineseUrbanization

MaryAnnO’Donnell

UrbanVillage(CZC)SpecialForces,Shenzhen,China

14.20–14.40 COFFEEBREAK

14.40–16.00 SESSION4-ALTERNATIVEMODELSANDREIMAGININGS

CHAIR&DISCUSSANT

MichelleMiller

AsiaResearchInstitute,NationalUniversityofSingapore

SPEAKERS&PAPERS

Seoul’sSituatedAspiration:SeoulStyleUrbanGovernanceModel

LeeYong-Sook

DepartmentofPublicAdministration,KoreaUniversity

21stCenturyAsianUrbanImaginaries:AnAntipodeanPerspective

TrevorHogan

HumanitiesandSocialSciences,CollegeofArts,SocialSciencesandCommerce,LaTrobeUniversity,USA

16.00–17.00 FINALDISCUSSION

TimBunnellandDanielGoh

NationalUniversityofSingapore

17.00 ENDOFWORKSHOP

Day 1 — Afternoon Walk!!

!Route (a rough guide)!!Hotel -> Green Corridor -> Tanglin Halt HDB Estate -> Wessex Art Galleries -> Biopolis for dinner!!!

Meeting Point and Time:!4.30PM!Park Avenue Rochester !Hotel Lobby!!Dinner Venue and Time:!6.30PM!Bodacious Restaurant!70 Biopolis Street, #01-05 !Singapore 138547!!An online map of our route:!tiny.cc/urbanfuturesasiawalk!!Bring a set of light clothes, comfortable shoes/sandals for walking in, and an umbrella in case of rain.The walk ends at the Biopolis, where we will have dinner.!!