Speculative urbanism Flashcards
(20 cards)
Who developed the term ‘speculative urbanism’?
Michael Goodman, to help understand the explosive urban development in Bangalore, India
What is speculative urbanism? What does it include?
a high-risk endeavour that instrumentalizes a new urban settlement for economic or political gain. Is often appropriation if lands by the state to generate extra revenue
Political redesignation and redivision of land for the specific purpose of raising its market value, and the speculative construction of housing, infrastructure, and urban amenities by both public and private entities
What was the journey of Bangaluru? How did this happen?
It went from a garden city to India’s Silicon valley in 30 yrs (population of 1 milion in 50s to over 13 million now)
companies and maufactruing started moving in, by the 1970s, many R&D organizations moved to Bangaluru as well as scientists, engineers, and academics
Increased demand for housing, congested roads, famous lakes disappeared for development, it was the rise of a neoliberal city
How is Bangaluru a tech and services hub?
Base for big players in technology and services
- Goldman Sachs, Bosch, Hitachi, Cisco, HP, Tata, Infosys, Wipro
-Leader in India’s biotech industry
-hosts many research and development facilities like the Indian Institute of Science and the National Centre for Biological Sciences.
What is the role of speculative urbanism in Bangaluru?
government aims to acquire land for housing and real estate investment, there is a financialization and assetization of urban land, housing, and infrastruture.
What does Goldman conceptualize specualtive urbanism as?
-A transformative mode of urban development and governance built on new ‘alternative’ forms of finance capital, governmental reforms aimed at aquiring land for housing and real estate investment, financialization and assetization of urban land, housing, and infrastructure, the expansion of neoliberal economic reforms, inter-urban competition, and inter-referencing.
Is Bangaluru a model ‘Global South’ city?
Yes! It is seen as a model for how Global SOuth cities should develop
Entrepreneur-friendly, access to international capital fuels service sector-driven development
Skiled middle class workers whose increased consumption generates broad developmental benefits
There was a strong foundation of state invest,emt prior to private sector success
How is land grabbing perpetuated?
To feed demand for housuing, office space, and commerical space
What are some of the consequences of Bengaluru’s fast development?
- the construction boom is lightly regulated, leading to tall, unsafe, not sturdy buildings
- Lakes, ponds, and water storage are being destroyed for urban development
-Industry is also lightly regulated leading to toxic sewage runoff (foam) - effluents from nearby industries lead to a build up of combustible methane gas, causing lake fires
- local farmers’ suicide rate increased :(
How does China’s urbanism exemplify speculative urbanism?
Rapid accumulation of wealth at household and municipal levels led to an urban age, coordinated by local and central governments, who have been financing infrastructure projects to transform China into an urban, industrial, modern country
Striving to be world class, hosting large-scale events (olympics, Expo, etc.)
Explain the profit coming from urbanizing land
Land resources as a means to finance development
Land revenues are fully retained by local governments as extra-budgetary revenues
How do governments urbanize land?
1) expansion of exisitng urban administrative boundaries to bring more rural lands under the control of urban governments
2) the use of special economic or development zones to ‘leapfrog’ development
3) assembly of existing land resources within urban boundaries to put them into a higher and better use through redevelopment
What are some signs of speculative urbanism in China?
- real estate speculation and developmental projects that are implemented in a pre-emptive manner
- state-funded highspeed railway projects
- the construction of ‘ghost towns’ where aparetments and commerical buildings remain largely vacant
- Housing prices in the commercial housing sector have risen beyond the financial means of average urban households (young families increasingly dependent on the support from extended families to purchase a home)
Why has China built so many university towns so quickly?
- increased demand for a skilled workforce
- sudden expansion in enrollment
- National policy change: all Chinese universities expanded enrollment quotas
-Building univeristy towns are a strategy by local states to raise revenue by rasing the value of land in surrounding areas
-government officials get promotions based on urban schemes they have launched
How are local villages affected?
- 10 000 villagers were relocated, 6 000 remain in shadows of new campuses
- Thousands of migrants, students, and business people arrived to open shops, hotels, internet cafes, etc.
- villages became a major site for providing middle or lower end services for universities
- Denisfication
What are some of the ongoing challenges with Guangzhou university town?
Such specualtive urban projects can be risky to banks and private investors (some have gone bankrupt/ construction halted)
Displaced villagers are marginalized
Profit and livelihood and landless farmers is not guaranteed
Few opportunities for training and internships for students in and around university towns
Poor transportation infrastructure
WHat are three examples of speculative urbanism in southern Malaysia?
1) Forest City Malaysia
2) Kampung Sungaui Temon, an indigenous village
3) Stulang Laut, an indigenous village
Explain Forest City’s link to speculative urbanism
- Dredged up sea floor sand to create the land
-Forest city leverages itself as a green brand for economic purposes, greenwashing on a global scale.
-Issues with law: what law does it abide by since it is technically ‘new’ land
Explain Kampung Sungai Temon
Launched a lawsuit against the Johor state govern,ent and other parties over land reclamation projects in Danga Bay.
Explain Stulang Laut lawsuit
VIllage land seized by state in 1993 to make way for development
Lawsuit launched: 2018, the state tries to have claims dismissed by offering 1000 USD,
Villagers relocated, the zon mall constructed on their ancestral land
The court rejected the governments appeal, and the village won.
BUT the government still won’t pay them.
