Characterising Centre-Hinterlands : Transition Design as a framework for the assessment of urban futures

This article discusses recent urban development in two cases, Imizamo Yethu, South Africa, and Tai O Village, Hong Kong, within transition design frameworks. The article builds on contemporary theories that suggest categorical distinctions between urban population centres and that less dense hinterlands support adverse normative relationships in the context of continuous economic, administrative, political, and other transitions. It introduces the premise of “centre-hinterlands,” to describe conditions where hinterland conditions are found within the centre and where researchers can construct provisional, administrative, and economic difference as inequity. The article presents research in Imizamo Yethu and Tai O that elaborates this description. The main methods applied in Imizamo Yethu include a morphological study and field observation, and the key findings in Imizamo Yethu include the gradual loss of distinction between “formally and informally” developed parts of the settlement in morphological character, developmental model, and administration. The main methods applied in Tai O Village include stakeholder workshopping, conducting a survey and interview, and a short-term pedestrian traffic monitoring project. The key findings in Tai O include economic and behavioural patterns that economically and socially entangle the village with the surrounding region. The article concludes with a discussion of transition design frameworks’ relationship to potential for radical change in each development case

Introduction: Commoning as Differentiated Publicness

Contemporary commoning practices do not constitute a mere alternative, but instead comprise a qualitative threshold: a moment of critical differentiation. As such, they call out for the development of a set of renewed methodological, analytical and synthetic tools and devices that are better equipped to understand the in-between as a ‘thirding’: as a form of differentiated publicness. The editorial introduction offers a platform of negotiation, which far from disregarding the already established approaches to the thematic in question, aims at expanding their scope, complementing them with non-dialectical readings. By presenting non-hierarchical understandings of urban practices, as well as fostering the intersection of different trajectories and discourses, the introduction to this issue strives to provide a fertile ground for the encounter of the multidimensional and relational potentials of contemporary commoning practices.

Aquatic Urbanisms: Water as Planning and Territorial Instrument Considering The 9 Dash Line Policy

The notion of territoriality, territory and terrain are all derivatives of ‘terra’ or ‘earth.’ As discourse, ‘territory’ has remained largely land centred for its terminologies, means of representation or in its application within urbanization. Water, conversely, is often considered as a resource or as a specific morphological characteristic but rarely as a key object of discourse. China’s claim within the South China Sea and the subsequent creation of newly formed ‘island outposts’, has brought to light the political welding that water holds, as both territorial claim and negotiating instrument. Particularly significant in the context of increasing pressures on development in this urban age. This paper examines how the substitution of ‘terra derived’ concepts with that of ‘hydro’ driven concepts, impact the domains of territoriality in planning and urbanism. Focus is placed on speculative projections of design work that highlights one possible method of reconfiguring the territoriality of the South China Sea. Consequentially this work questions the assumptions and spatial ideologies in the ‘nine-dash line’ policy

Aquatic Urbanisms: Water as Planning and Territorial Instrument Considering The 9 Dash Line Policy

The notion of territoriality, territory and terrain are all derivatives of ‘terra’ or ‘earth.’ As discourse, ‘territory’ has remained largely land centred for its terminologies, means of representation or in its application within urbanization. Water, conversely, is often considered as a resource or as a specific morphological characteristic but rarely as a key object of discourse. China’s claim within the South China Sea and the subsequent creation of newly formed ‘island outposts’, has brought to light the political welding that water holds, as both territorial claim and negotiating instrument. Particularly significant in the context of increasing pressures on development in this urban age.This paper examines how the substitution of ‘terra derived’ concepts with that of ‘hydro’ driven concepts, impact the domains of territoriality in planning and urbanism. Focus is placed on speculative projections of design work that highlights one possible method of reconfiguring the territoriality of the South China Sea. Consequentially this work questions the assumptions and spatial ideologies in the ‘nine-dash line’ policy

The compact city and contemporary urbanization processes : discussing alternative interpretations of urban compactness

The Compact City is a paradigm that is widely promoted as a sustainable way of development. However, the desirability of urban compactness is frequently questioned in urban theory, and empirical research shows that the effects of compaction are highly ambiguous. Furthermore, contemporary urbanization processes fundamentally change the scales and complexities that urbanism has to deal with. Therefore, new interpretations of the Compact City are needed. This paper discusses alternative interpretations of urban compactness in order to initiate the exploration of design and planning principles that are geared to today's urban challenges, and thereby deepen insights into the links between the Compact City and urban morphology. The paper starts by outlining the current debate on the sustainability of compact urban form and giving a short overview of three theories that capture contemporary processes of urbanization - Planetary Urbanization, Mega-regionalization, and Peri-urbanization. This gives an impression of the phenomena to be considered. Subsequently, alternative interpretations of urban compactness are presented and discussed based on their relation to the urbanization processes presented beforehand. The chosen interpretations - compactness through autonomy; regional compactness; compactness of flows; and relational compactness - originate from existing theoretical literature. The review shows that except for regional compactness, each of the interpretations adequately responds to the theory on contemporary urbanization processes. A set of hypothetical diagrams that tries to translate the interpretations into empirical measures shows that each of them has the potential to point towards types of morphological analysis that go beyond the conventional focus of urban compactness on population and building densities. It is therefore concluded that if alternative interpretations of urban compactness are developed with consideration of urbanization theory, and they implement a variety of empirical measure, they can make valuable contributions to urban issues beyond the disciplinary limits of urban morphology

Complex Urban Futures: Using scenarios to tackle the complexity of megaregional systems

Megaregions represent the massive scale and overwhelming complexity of contemporary urbanisation. This requires new and adapted methods for those designing in and for megaregions. Scenarios are a promising tool for this, but urban designers struggle to use them systematically. Improved and adapted scenario-building methodologies for urban designers are needed. Therefore, this presentation puts forward a framework to reveal and discuss urban complexity through megaregional scenarios. The framework is constituted by three phases: analysis, design, and evaluation, in which the analysis builds the basis for an iterative process of drafting and assessing scenarios. The focus of this presentation is the design phase, which is most relevant for the implementation of systemic design principles. The presentation emphasises the importance of including multiple stakeholders in a design process that triangulates different design methods. It shows tests of the framework in design studios at different universities, in which students translate abstract themes into concrete spatial concepts during playful, intuitive, and fast-paced design sessions. The exploration of various design options across various performance indicators helps to initiate discussions on the complexity and ambiguity of megaregions. While further fine-tuning of the framework is needed, it shows the potential to ultimately support well-informed decision-making in the context of megaregionalisation