Contemporary approaches to investigating cities

Question 1

What are some key issues in the Global South?

Answer 1

• Rapid urban growth, housing shortages, inadequate infrastructure, growing in equalites, exacerbation of exisiting social divisions
• air and water pollution, food security
  -strategies for transforming economies- city centric economic development, investment in the knowledge economy
  -identities (national, ethnic, sexual, gender)
• Often seen as a receptacle for the west, it is a pioneer of urban innovations and policies
• global interconnectedness of places, transnational flows of ideas, materials, money, and people
• demographic shifts (aging population, young population)

Question 2

How do we approach the study of cities and contemporary urban change in the Global South?

Answer 2

• have to critically consider the extent to which models, concepts, and theories about cities have been developed in the West, and whether they are applicable
• Some may have limited explanatory power
• some expand and change to theorize new concepts
• We learn about urban life , the processes, institutions, forces, interests, inequalities, and identities hat constitute society, power relations,

Question 3

What are some examples of rapid urban growth and inadequate infrastructure in the Global South?

Answer 3

ex) Pomodoro city: a new type and scale of gated communities, these tend to result in urban fragmentation

ex) the informal sector is banned from new, gated communities

Question 4

What are some examples of air and water pollution?

Answer 4

ex) Bejing and Singapore have major air polution issues
ex) Chinese baby formula scandal in 2008

ex) Japan and Singapore making moves to address food insecurity (urban farming and panasonic indoor farms)

Question 5

How are economies transforming?

Answer 5

Shifting from agriculture and manufacturing to high tech
ex) Silicon Savannah ie. Konza techno City in Kenya

Question 6

How are idenities involved?

Answer 6

Saudi Arabia is trying to create a new innovatie identity with ‘The Line’

Prime Minister’s office in Putrajaya is a return to a more Malay architecture (trying to blend identities)

Gay marriage!

Question 7

What is an example of demographic shifts?

Answer 7

Africa’s population is extremely young