Master Cities & Defiant Neighborhoods /Tokyo & Mumbai
March 2008
Throughout the world, countless urban communities are challenged by generic redevelopment plans presented as urban rationalization and modernization. While these redevelopment plans usually benefit real estate actors and financing institutions operating on a global scale, they are often threatening local social networks and economic activities. This paper argues that a conceptual vacuum allows the rhetoric and imaginary of the generic city to dominate the field of urban planning and development. The paper also questions the category ‘slum’ which needs to be investigated and transcended. The concept of the organic city is presented as an alternative to both, the generic city and the slum. Examples are drawn from the author’s own involvement with urban communities in Tokyo and Mumbai.
This paper received an honorable mention at the Urban Planet Berlin Roundtable, International Essay Competition and Workshop organized by the Irmgard Coninx Foundation, the Social Science Research Center Berlin and the Humboldt-University Berlin, 11-16 June 2008.