BEYOND ECONOMISM: Urban Political Economy and the Postmodern Challenge

ABSTRACT: Urban political economy has been prone to two errors: overgeneralizing to abstract theory and overemphasizing the role of economic interests. Drawing on postmodern philosophy, the author examines these two errors, which he labels economism, and suggests a more concrete culturally rooted approach to urban political economy. The author develops his argument through a critique of the conventional concept of urban economic restructuring. Far from being a unified global process, urban economic restructuring is, in fact, highly fragmented and rooted in particular political and cultural relations. Geographically rooted political and cultural loyalties are not drags on economic growth but are essential, the author argues, for a well-functioning economy. The paper concludes with some policy implications for the problem of concentrated urban poverty.     

大型城市项目:拉丁美洲城市面临的挑战

近年来,拉丁美洲很多国家广泛开展了大规模的城市再开发计划.本文总结了在实施大型城市项目这种复杂的城市计划时,将要面对的主要观点、问题和挑战.     

大型城市项目：拉丁美洲城市面临的挑战

近年来,拉丁美洲很多国家广泛开展了大规模的城市再开发计划。本文总结了在实施大型城市项目这种复杂的城市计划时,将要面对的主要观点、问题和挑战。     

绿色基础设施：管理的挑战

"绿色基础设施"是由城市用地内部和周边所有绿地组成的一个整体,它的规划、设计、管理和维护应该是完整和连贯的."绿色基础设施"使绿地能够与城市运行必需的其他基础设施相比较,如道路、市政和污水系统.绿色基础设施具有多功能性,除了提供休闲娱乐和有益于人们身体健康之外的功能,它还可以为城市提供许多自然服务,如城市防洪和降温.为了保证绿色基础设施概念的实施,绿色基础设施的规划和管理需要良好的管理和资金体系做支撑.英国拥有广阔的绿色基础设施,但是,在如何规划和管理这些资产使其发挥最佳效益方面,英国的许多城市应该向其他国家学习.     

Urban Intensification in Auckland,New Zealand: A Challenge for New Urbanism

Medium Density Housing (MDH) is a relatively new form of housing in New Zealand where the standalone house on a separate lot has traditionally been revered. This paper reports on the findings of a research project on Ambrico Place, a major MDH initiative in Waitakere City, one of four cities in the Auckland metropolitan area. This case study explores the development of a site that has been significantly influenced by new urbanist principles. The paper provides an overview of the historical and political context influencing the take up of MDH in Auckland. It briefly reviews theory and principles arising from new urbanist movements then describes the Ambrico Place Research Project. Next, it explores three interrelated issues, relevant to new urbanism, that arose from the research; the quality of the built environment, community and social interaction, and transport patterns of MDH residents. Implications for planning are identified. Finally, three problems are noted: the uncritical and incoherent implementation of new urbanist principles; the contradiction between the drives for both diversity and homogeneity in the built environment; and the tensions arising from the application of an environmental effects-based approach to planning in an urban setting.     

背景动力趋势挑战——对我国城市设计发展前景的认识

通过对我国城市设计20多年来的发展背景及其发展动力的认知,辨识城市设计的发展趋势与面临的挑战,从而把握城市设计的发展前景。     

Informalising Architecture: The Challenge of Informal Settlements

Transgression is often driven by the power to exercise choice and consciously cross the line. As Kim Dovey , Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Melbourne, explains, informal settlements, which have grown up globally out of immediate need for shelter and community, and are legally precarious, transgress established codes of ‘land tenure, urban planning, design and construction’. Their condition requires transgression, even if they are subversion through necessity rather than by design. So what is architecture's future role in informal settlements? And what can be learnt from this more ad hoc and incremental model of urban design?     

The Danube Programme: The Challenge of International River-Basin Management

This paper highlights the key issues which affected the design and implementation of water policy within the first phase of the Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin. The programme represents one of several regional environmental initiatives in Eastern Europe which were designed to control pollution through the coordinated actions of national governments, international organizations, international financial institutions and non-governmental organizations.
The paper identifies three key controversial findings. Firstly, although the programme has been a valuable tool for the skills and technology transfer which are necessary to enable the Danube states to control water pollution, it has failed to generate the anticipated levels of capital investment or establish itself as a cornerstone of Danube basin management. Secondly, the policy process has been beset by political, economic, social and historical conflicts and power struggles between the participating parties. Thirdly, valuable lessons for the strategic and sustainable management of international river basins can be learned from the operational experiences of the Danube programme.     

城市社区公共服务设施配套标准研究的若干思考与探索——以武汉市为例

从城市社会学的视角切入,对武汉市城市社区的分类、公共服务设施配置状况进行了大量调查分析,在把握中国城市社区发展总体规律的基础上,借鉴了国内外典型城市社区公共服务设施配置标准研究和规划经验,研究提出了武汉市城市社区公共服务设施的项目构成、配置标准,并提出了相应的实施政策建议.     

让城市更适于居住：中国所面临的下一个挑战

作者认为21世纪对品质的强调与20世纪的理想模型截然相反。现在，城市的宜居性越来越受到重视。正当中国计划在未来快速实现城市化之时，一些经验将帮助它们解决所面临的挑战。它们是：①减少汽车的影响：②努力追求建筑领域和公共场所建设的创造性；⑤保护并发展当地文化遗产；④促进为各类居民提供丰富多彩的活动；⑤建立市民参与系统，使居民能以其独特的方式帮助塑造环境。     

让城市更适于居住:中国所面临的下一个挑战

作者认为21世纪对品质的强调与20世纪的理想模型截然相反.现在,城市的宜居性越来越受到重视.正当中国计划在未来快速实现城市化之时,一些经验将帮助它们解决所面临的挑战.它们是:①减少汽车的影响;②努力追求建筑领域和公共场所建设的创造性;③保护并发展当地文化遗产;④促进为各类居民提供丰富多彩的活动;⑤建立市民参与系统,使居民能以其独特的方式帮助塑造环境.     

The Urban Complex: Scalar Probabilities and Urban Computation

Guest-editor Anthony Burke redefines complexity in relation to the city as ‘a dynamic and luminal organisational condition “growing at the edge of chaos”’ and in so doing shifts our understanding of urban trauma as an event intrinsic to the contribution of the metropolis rather than external to it. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

当代建筑--关于技术的挑战--中国科协青年科学家论坛第93次活动综述

由中国科协主办的青年科学家论坛第93次活动于8月12至13日在中国科技会堂举行。论坛主题为。当代建筑——关于技术的挑战”。     

The Challenge to Architectural Education

Abstract

The collection of 150 modern houses that comprised the Athletes' Village for the event of the VIIth Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia, in 1962, is now rapidly disappearing. This fading out is in part due to the changing expectations of suburban house design in Australia today and, in part, due to the inevitable aging of the garden suburb in which these houses are located. Moreover, its demise has been precipitated by a recent failed effort to conserve and protect the development by the Heritage Council of Western Australia. This article addresses the history of the Athlete's Village, demonstrates its architectural and historical significance, the changes that have occurred in it over time, the author's documentation of those changes, and why we believe that heritage designation and protection proposals for the site were not supported.     

怀疑和批判是建筑评论创新的灵魂

从三个方面论述了建筑评论．首先对建筑界内外关于建筑评论的八种说法作了解读．而后对什么是建筑评论作了广义的解释．最后的结论是：建筑评论的最终目标是创新，而怀疑和批判是建筑评论创新的灵魂。     

The relevance of Green Building Challenge: an observer's perspective

The objectives and achievements of the international Green Building Challenge project are analysed. GBC is situated within the context of other international environmental methods. The differences between assessment tools, design tools, environmental management and audit tools and the large data problems entailed by these are discussed. Possible development scenarios for extending GBC into Life Cycle Assessment methodology, into other life cycle phases (maintenance and refurbishment) and adapting GBC for use with the existing building stocks are proposed. The notion of 'green' buildings is replaced by a larger concept of sustainable development. New aggregation principles and scaleable design methods are proposed. Finally, the question of how relevant the proposed targets of GBC are in relation to the longterm sustainable development of buildings, building stock and urban environments is addressed. Cet article analyse les objectifs et les resultats du projet international Green Building Challenge (GBC). Le GBC est situe dans le contexte d'autres methodes internationales consacrees a l'environnement. Les differences entre les outils d'evaluation, les outils de conception, la gestion de l'environnement, les outils de controle ainsi que les vastes problemes lies aux donnees qui en decoulent sont egalement examines. L'auteur propose des scenarios possibles de developpement qui devraient permettre d'etendre le GBC a la methode de l'evaluation des cycles de vie, a d'autres phases du cycle de vie (maintenance et remise en etat) et a l'adaptation du GBC afin qu'il soit applique au parc immobilier existant. La notion de 'batiment vert' est remplacee par un concept plus large de developpement durable. De nouveaux principes d'agregation et des methodes de conception a differentation variable sont proposes. Enfin, l'article pose la question de la pertinence des cibles proposees par le GBC par rapport au developpement durable a long terme des batiments, du parc immobilier et des environnements urbains.