Urbanism Toronto and Taipei General Introduction II 2004226

Urbanism, Toronto and Taipei General Introduction II 2004/2/26

Outline ¢ ¢ Urbanism as a Way of Life Toronto Experience l l ¢ Taipei Experience l l l ¢ The Meeting Place: Multiculturalism and its Discontent Architectural Renovation/Preservation Multiple-Core City and its Development “Taipei, Taipei” by 石昌杰 My Own Experience: Aestheticization and Commodification of Space; Historical & Invisible Cities Assignments for next week

Urbanism ¢ the physical entity of the city (e. g. population, density) ¢ A way of life caused by the density, size and heterogeneity of the population of a place.

Louis Wirth ¢ ¢ ¢ Born in a small village in Germany and then immigrated to the U. S. One of the Chicago School. His view of urbanism – “the first, and to this day most, comprehensive statement about the sociological dynamics of modern urban life. ” (source; exemplified in the film Brazil. ) ¢ True? August 28, 1897 - May 10, 1952 (source )

Questions. . . What is urbanism as a way of life for Wirth? Can you find any pattern in his sociological definition of the city? (pp. 197) Systematic interpretations based on factual data. ¢ How does he analyze 1) size of population, 2) density 3) heterogeneity? ¢ What are three perspectives he takes to look at urbanism? ¢ Do you agree with him? Do you think that there is an ‘urban personality’? ¢

1) size of population ¢ ¢ ¢ variations and differences of urban population 1) Lack of bonds of kinship, neighborliness; in terms of secondary roles 2) And segmentalization of human relationships; the ‘schizoid’ character of urban personality Urban ‘contacts’ – impersonal, transitory, segmental, and mostly utilitarian (relations of utility) the state of anomie or the social void Do you agree? (蔡明亮’s films; 李康生《不見》)

2) density (p. 192) ¢ 1) physical contacts close, but social contacts distant; l ¢ 2) land values, specialization of areas l l ¢ We depend on visual recognition; develop a sensitivity to a world of artifacts and become progressively farther removed from the world of nature. tolerance and competition reserved and lonely Do you agree? (Walking in the City)

3) Heterogeneity (p. 193) ¢ ¢ ¢ Heightened mobility sophistication and cosmopolitanism of the urbanite. different interests met by different groups; no undivided allegiance to a single group. the turnover of group membership is rapid. (So is commodity production and everything else spaces of flows, or nonplace). difficulty in organizing social groups as well as our perception (cognitive mapping; e. g. two blind people touching an elephant through a video camera. ) segregation and de-personalization in large congregations, the use of social facilities, or making propaganda (individuals replaced by categories).

3) Heterogeneity (p. 193) segregation and de-personalization Are these the necessary results of social heterogeneity? Carnival (狂歡節) and heteroglossia （眾聲喧譁）can be some other metaphors for social interactions and discourses.

Urbanism – approached thru’ Three interrelated perspectives: 1. As a physical structure comprising a population base, a technology, and an ecological order; more in the prime of life; lower birth-rates; 2. As a system of social organization involving a characteristic social structure, a series of social institutions, etc. secondary contacts pp. 195 -96 3. As a set of attitudes and ideas, and a constellation of personalities, . . .

Urban Personality and collective behavior ¢ ¢ ¢ Social control mainly achieved through organization and the use of symbols and stereotypes. Self-government in the unstable equilibrium with of pressure groups. Territorial units replaced by interest units. society segmented; with a definite center but no clear periphery. Lack of communication: The more people involved, the lower the level of communication. Are we definitely mass-ified by the crowd?

Wirth’s Definition of Urbanism –Summarized 1. Anonymity a shift away from primary relationships to secondary relationships. Urbanites interact with others not as individuals but with others in certain roles. Personal relations become superficial and transitory. 2. Urban life is marked by collectivity, utilitarianism and efficiency. 3. Segmentation of urban life.

Critique of Wirth’s Views ¢ ¢ 1. 2. Urbanism as a way of life is not limited to the city. Urban problems are not limited to certain places (such as cities). No definite ‘urban personality. ’ There is a nostalgia or preference for the rural way of life The other possible interpretations: Capital is urbanized at the same time it produces urban spaces (e. g. road, factory, school, parks, etc. ) Individuals can still ‘walk’ in their cities to carve out their own spaces. (Ref. 人文地理學詞典選讀 The Dictionary of Human Geography pp. 200 -202)

Toronto: Multiculturalism and its Discontent A. The Meeting Place ¢ What have you learned from it? ¢ The streets and the landmark clip 1. ¢ Canada’s Identity: colonial history and differences from the State ¢ Muliticulturalism: Immigrants’ sense of glass ceiling. ¢ Refugee problems – l l l ”How many is too many? ” Education (some get “sent to vocational school to learn how to be a maid, or to fix computers. ) Problems of their past –Some are walking time bombs

Canada’s national identity ¢ ¢ At the citizenship ceremony, there a Black judge and a MC with a ‘Chinese’looking face; Their oath: swear to “bear true allegiance to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. “ peace order and good government negative virtue, hoping nothing happens life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness aggressive

Immigrants’ sense of glass ceiling ¢ A Caribbean poet: l l ¢ Lillian Allen: a dub poet l l ¢ --less openly racist; sweeping under the carpet racism; -- implied in stereotyping their home country; in questions such as ‘Where are you come from? ”; in the lack of work opportunities or promotion (“All people are equal, except in winter”. ) A Portuguese radio anchor l ¢ few “ethnic” people at Yorkville; have to ask where the immigrants work; Able to run for election; ghettoization. Albert Johnson case –police brutality.

Architecture in Toronto

Architecture in Toronto: City Halls—Old and New ¢

Architecture in Toronto: Trinity College and The Eaton Center ¢

Taipei ¢ What’s your experience of it? Many races l Clear segmentations, lack of communication l Improvements, fast changes, histories (大稻埕, temples) l Its Development, past and future (詹宏志、石昌杰) ¢ My Experience ¢

Taipei: its Development and Multiple Core From being a harbor to a political center, to a business-oriented metropolis. ¢ Multiple Core – Mostly commercial areas; Where are the cultural cores? And the historical sites? ¢

Taipei, Taipei by 石昌杰 ¢ Brick houses family town with a center, political center

Taipei, Taipei (2) ¢ The forming of concrete prisons and a concrete jungle

Taipei, Taipei (3) ¢ From Modern Period to the Postmodern

Taipei, Taipei (4) ¢ The role of the statues

Taipei, Taipei (4) ¢ The role of the statues Authority eliminated: 于大佑 at the intersection of Ren-ai and Duen-hua Authority de-centered

Taipei: Aestheticization and Commodification of Spaces ¢ Images from 台北畫刊

Taipei: Aestheticization of Spaces ¢ Images from 台北畫刊 Left – 永康街? ¢ Installation arts; e. g. on Duen-hua, Citizen Blvd. ¢

Nanking-Duenhua Intersection

Nanking-Duenhua Intersection What do you think?

The Spectacle Society Guy Debord ¢ The fetishism of the commodity (商品拜物): the domination of society by “intangible as well as tangible things” attains its ultimate fulfillment in the spectacle, where the real world is replaced by a selection of images which are projected above it, yet which at the same time succeed in making themselves regarded as the epitome of reality. ¢ The Society of the Spectacle Chapter 2: The Commodity as Spectacle http: //www. bopsecrets. org/SI/debord/2. htm ¢

The Spectacle Society Guy Debord ¢ The spectacle is the stage at which the commodity has succeeded in totally colonizing social life. Commodification is not only visible, we no longer see anything else; the world we see is the world of the commodity. Modern economic production extends its dictatorship both extensively and intensively. In the less industrialized regions, its reign is already manifested by the presence of a few star commodities and by the imperialist domination imposed by the more industrially advanced regions. In the latter, social space is blanketed with ever-new layers of commodities. With the “second industrial revolution, ” [post-industrial capitalism] alienated consumption has become just as much a duty for the masses as alienated production.

Taipei: Historical & Invisible Cities ¢

Assignments for next week Ararat (film) by Atom Egoyan ¢ Chapter II of In the Skin of a Lion ¢