Assignments

Assignment 1.  

·       What is a Global City?

·       This Assignment helps you to understand the Global identity of Your chosen  city: 25% of your Grade.

1.     Every participant is encouraged to choose one Middle Eastern or Asian "Global City" (preferably not those included as major examples in the class reading list) as an illustrative model to, reflect on a definition of, “Global City.”  Please include and read all the class readings and sight from those articles while developing your definition of global city,  (at least 1 page)  and use them to  support  what makes your city a global city.

a)     Appadurai's Globalizing  Scapes,

Using the "scapes" concept of Appadurai,  Craft  a  "cityscape" of  your city.

b)    Label  the different "scapes " of your city with key words giving reason(s) why they are important/interesting  in making your city "Global". 

c)     While identifying the scapes please use some specific data or references from readings, e.g. for ethnoscape, you may give the total population of your city, % of immigrant population, diversity of religion, language etc,   what ever makes your city ethnically diverse. Financescapes, Any foreign banks, businesses,  Fortune 5 companies etc; Ideoscapes, is it under a democracy, Socialist or communist govt. political leanings, capitalism free market or centrally controlled capitalist investment, etc.

d)    synthesize evidence and concepts from course materials to articulate a statement about each "scape', (ethno, finance etc. be creative and come up with your own SCAPES) and the "cityscape" as a whole, ( you can bring your talking points in  about a two pages or more. to present in class. You may make a photo collage,  and   include  portions of  artwork and  texts, academic writings,  photographs.  Magazine and newspaper clippings and other necessary material.)

 

2. You will consider your chosen city, regularly in the light of the different aspects of urban development, which we will discuss throughout the course. Contributions based on these specific insights and experiences will be integrated into the final projects and will also be part of common in class discussions and will account for another 15% of your grade.

 

 II. Assignment 2/ Class discussion: 20% of your grade.

 Aerotropolis: Are airport cities the wave of the future?

This assignment aims to help you think about the changing form and functions of a global city in the age of globalization. It also helps you to reflect on issues of time/space compression, speed, connectivity, accessibility/mobility, environmental pollution, sustainability, global warming, Peek oil and the very nature of how production and exchange, trade and commerce has changed in the age of globalization.

Your Class discussion should address the questions listed below with examples from an your own or another emerging aerotropolis, for e.g. Dubai, Sangdo, Doha, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Kuala Lampur, Singapore which are the model aerotropolis cities or from many more that are already under construction in Asia and the Middle East.   Bring your notes to class for discussion.

 Questions:

  1.  What is the aerotropolis?
  2.  Is the Aerotropolis: the city of the 21st century? There is no doubt that transport – whether on four legs or four wheels – has shaped cities throughout history, how is the Fifth wave of transportation changing the very form of the city?
  3. What is the chief value of the aerotropolis?
  4. How is it changing the way we live in an interconnected world?
  5.  What impact will the aerotropolis have on our lives and the future of the cities themselves? Discuss this in the context of global warming, environmental pollution and peek oil.
  6. Will these cities be sustainable?

Please use all the readings provided in class as your references along with any other pertinent readings. 

CITYSCAPES, 30% of your grade
FINALAssignment and  Presentation
A Tale of Two Cities, Presentations Due NO Extentions PLEASE .
Cities as roots of all inequalities.
Using the analogy of the The Apartheid City students will focus on the "dark side of Globalization" and focus on what makes their city an "unequal/apartheid city".
 1.  Your assignment is to Create a profile of two cities within your own chosen city, drawing/highlighting the contrasts as if it were a "tale of two cities" as discussed in class.
2.  For your contrast focus on at least 2  key issues (e.g.  architecture, (traditional/modern or verticality/horizontality),  transportation/, accessibility/inaccessibility, exclusion/inclusion, home/homelessness, public/private spaces, technocrats/beggars, health/sanitation, hope/hopelessness,  population density, westernization, poverty, wealth, creativity, slums/citadels, etc.)
3. Finally, it will involve some reflection on the role of "global Capital" in creating these disparities/ contrasts. Has it been a positive/negative, or integrative/enabling process etc.  in your city?
2. Presentation of research findings to the class
 Some General Guidelines for your Presentation
A digital Presentation

a) Make a compelling argument about the importance of the contrasts in your theme.
b) Use carefully selected and composed comparison matrices, charts, statistical tables, and images. This is a key issue.
c) Provide thoughtful commentaries clearly linked to class subject matter and readings (i.e. citing class readings).

For  Helpful  Pointers on your research  go to