A common theme that I have noticed throughout a lot of these cities I have been posting about is the coupling of humans and nature; living in harmony with nature and seeing environmental conservation and development as mutually constitutive. Could we say this is liberal environmentalism?
www.cbc.ca/radio/asitha...#newcities Here's another city that is trying to find solutions to rising sea levels. Like Oceanix Busan in South Korea, I wonder if this city will actually address global warming. Building a floating city is just climate adaptation and not the final solution!
www.forbes.com/sites/samabu...#newcities Woven City in Japan doesn't really seem like it is for people. After all, it is led by a automobile company, so how people-oriented can it really be? From the article, I gather that Woven City is a laboratory for technology and not so much a place to live.
This is definitely an extreme interpretation of the "forest city" concept -- the city is planned to have 7.5 million plants and a botanist is being recruited to help lead the design. What kind of upkeep will this require?
thred.com/culture/stef...#newcities I'm struggling to find more recent information on Mexico's 'Smart Forest City'. I wonder if these ambitious plans are even taking shape or if this is just an unrealistic dream.
www.dezeen.com/2025/06/10/e... We talk about many new cities that end up failing but here is one that is well underway. I find it interesting that it is underreported and kind of being built under the radar. Is this because it is funded by the Egyptian government and not seeking foreign investment?
african.business/2025/04/long...#newcities -- Once again we are seeing Singapore enter the conversation of new cities and this time it concerns Djibouti city. It seems like they are trying to turn Djibouti City into the "Singapore" of Africa.
It looks like Alatau City has regional and global goals. The purpose of project is to create a model city for the future development of Kazakhstan but it also has world class aspirations - the article mentions that the project is to have a landmark building that will put Alautau City 'on the map'.
qazinform.com/news/what-we... We've talked about how Singapore is a leader in realm of new cities and serves as a model for new city planning. Alatau City is being planned by a Singapore based firm - excited to see how this plays out and to identify the urban policy mobilities that arise. #newcities
During our lecture about Union Point and tech in cities, The Line popped into my head; specifically its embrace of technological determinism and its questionable leadership. The Line now seems to be following the trajectory of Union Point with funding issues and massive scale backs #newcities
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/m... The Line has become synonymous with the topic of new cities as it is one of the most ambitious projects to ever materialize. Looks like it has just downsized to only a few miles. I wonder if this will speed up construction- or is a line city still too ambitious?
The article the city's commitment to sustainability will not be compromised due to time constraints - we have seen that a lot of projects have changed dramatically or been scrapped due to timelines so I am interested so see if these visions hold up and evolve overtime. #newcities
www.theb1m.com/video/geleph... Gelephu differs from many of the new cities we have been talking about as it is taking a non-growth centric approach. Bhutan's wider value of living in harmony with nature and prioritizing happiness reminds me of the Latin American approach to development Buen Vivir
The city aims to "to change the development trajectory of the West" -- this captures the purpose and ambition of the project. Will Westown be a model city for the development of only the Western region or the continent at large? What sets it's strategy apart? #newcities
www.newsweek.com/south-africa... Given that many of the attempts at creating tech centric / smart cities in Africa have been put on the back burner or abandoned all together, what is different about Westown? Construction only began this year...I wonder how this will play out.
Adding to this, I would like to know more about Oceanix Busan's sustainability plans. The article mentions a potential benefit of restoring ocean biodiversity. In order for projects like this to be framed as a solution to rising sea levels they must actually make efforts to limit warming.
www.nytimes.com/2024/05/10/s... The potential benefits are definitely there when thinking about climate adaptation. However I don't think that projects like Oceanix Busan should be marketed as "solutions" to rising sea levels as they are more like adaptation strategies. #newcities#climateadaptation
With plans to built luxury features like glass-fronted residential areas and a yacht marina as well as partnerships with private developers, it seems like Jirian City is designed for elites to attract capital rather than solve Cairo's overcrowding by providing housing for the greater population.
africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifest... Plans for Jirian City rely on diverting water from the Nile. I'm certainly not an expert on water management but I wonder how this will impact the rest of the country - Egypt faces water shortages and the Nile is its primary water source #newcities
The creation of Nusantara is largely motivated by the overpopulation and environmental challenges in the country's current capital, Jakarta. An entire new capital isn't a crazy concept but will anything be done to help reform Jakarta's issues, or is Nusantara the main focus?
This demonstrates how African countries are following the pattern of urbanization to promote development. Given that this strategy alone hasn't worked across Africa and many African countries remain poor, the idea that urbanization = growth is a large oversimplification.
www.scmp.com/week-asia/po... A national renewal project is underway in Indonesia. The president announced the country's new capital project Nusantara in 2019 however it was recently given a new title of "political capital". Is this a signification of project decline or success?
apnews.com/article/keny... In class we talked about and critiqued creating new cities as a strategy to alleviate social problems. Tatu City in Kenya is great example of a new city project that wants to 'solve' -- It strives to spur growth and alleviate poverty
