Asian ethical urbanism : a radical postmodern perspective / William S.W. Lim ; with an introduction by Leon van Schaik.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lim, William Siew Wai, 1932-2023.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

City planning--Asia.

City planning.

Asia.

City planning--Asia--Case studies.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

xxxvi, 240 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Singapore ; Hackensack, NJ ; London : World Scientific Pub., [2005]

Summary:

With the impending demise of modernist planning, the footprints and corpses of failed modernist visions are littered everywhere. A vacuum of implementable urban theories has occurred at the time when unprecedented expansion and restructuring of cities in rapidly developing economies are taking place. In this collection of essays, William S W Lim zeroes in on the peculiarities and dynamics of present Asian urban and architectural conditions in order to challenge and transcend the socio-ecological forms and political influences generated by the current system of global capitalism.

Part I of this book consists of the main essay, which attempts to establish baselines for an effective formulation of ethical urbanism in Asia, by clarifying issues that have previously been unquestioningly bound up with Western values and discourses. As an architect/urbanist, Lim lends a determinedly spatialist and environmental perspective to issues such as rights, ethics, happiness and social justice, while compelling his readers to rethink previously established notions about them.

Part II of this book consists of three city studies on Hanoi, Shanghai and Singapore, completed in the last two years, which attempt to match Lim's theoretical formulation with actual conditions occurring in Asia today. Also included is "Asian Architecture in the New Millennium", a fascinating discourse on contemporary design conducted from a postmodern perspective.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Asian Ethical Urbanism: A Radical Postmodern Perspective

Multiple Modernities 06

Ethics and Happiness 11

Radical Glocality 15

Asian Ethical Urbanism 19

Conservation and Memories 22

Safeguarding the Commons 23

Spaces of Indeterminancy 24

Land 25

Spatial Justice 27

Post-Planning as a Credible Instrument for Asian Ethical Urbanism 29

Post-planning in Central, Hong Kong / Koh Wan Ching 44

Learning from Bangkok / Kevin S K Lim 52

Chapter 2 Asian Architecture in the New Millenium: A Postmodern Imagery 63

Chapter 3 Ancient Quarter Hanoi: A Living Tradition 91

Chapter 4 Have You Been Shanghaied? Culture and Urbanism in Glocalised Shanghai 103

Chapter 5 Architecture, Art, Identity in Singapore: Is There Life After Tabula Rasa? 133.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-226) and index.

ISBN:

981256313X

OCLC:

58807599