Commentary—Comparing Comparative Urbanisms

Jacobs, Jane

doi:10.2747/0272-3638.33.6.904

Cited by 60 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Responding to the recent call for a comparative (re) turn in urban studies, this study emphasizes the figure of "difference" itself when conducting the comparative research (Jacobs, 2012;McFarlane & Robinson, 2012). I attempt to clarify one of the significant differences between the United States and China on the topic of suburbanization, that is, tremendous suburban growth in the United States during the peak period of the 1950s and 1960s was at the expense of the city center and led to urban decay, but no such devastating impact on the city center in China has been realized during the suburbanization period since 1980s.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Study of Suburbanization in United States and China

Lin¹

2014

JGG

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Suburbanization as a topic of urban geography is always an important subject. This study responds to the recent call for a "comparative (re) turn in urban studies" by comparing suburbanization in the United States and China. The comparative perspective offered here focuses on the "differences" rather than the similarities. This study clarifies one of the significant differences between the United States and China, suburbanization has not weakened the functionality of city centers in China in the way it did in the United States: 1) unlike the United States, suburbanization has not weakened the economic function of city centers in China because of the different administrative jurisdiction system; 2) when suburbanization is taking place, city centers gain even more political powers in China; 3) despite the fact that people moved out to the suburbs, city centers are still the places where the best living condition and most job opportunities exists.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Study of Suburbanization in United States and China

Lin¹

2014

JGG

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“…This is an important element in Deleuze's account of generating concepts. Thus, keeping open our perspective on what "repeated instances" add up to in an analytical sense means working across the many cases -working with multiples (Jacobs, 2012) -such that we have in mind all the possible concepts that could help us make sense of the instances in their multiplicity as they come into view. One of the beneficial effects of repeated instances is that they have the potential to draw scholars and observers across numerous academic and interpretive contexts, and therefore traditions, language communities and theoretical approaches, into conversation.…”

Section: Connections Producing Repeated Instancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…I want to argue, then, that the "arrival" of policy ideas from elsewhere is something of a misdirect in explanatory terms -the assumption that policy ideas even arrive is rather misplaced -at the very least we lose sight of the policies that were already there, or which never arrive, that are thwarted or ignored, or run aground amidst alternative agendas or stern resistance, or become something completely unrecognisable, or whose influence is quite forgotten Jacobs, 2011). I want to rather open up the potential for thinking with elsewheres to bring figure a sharper focus on the incredibly messy, often untraceable, processes of policy formulation (Robinson, 2011b), including some of the ephemeral dynamics underpinning the differentiations of repetition (Jacobs, 2012). It will hopefully illuminate the spatialities not only of how policy ideas are arrived at in the midst of the many elsewheres but also inspire some innovative approaches to forging comparisons through (topological) connections.…”

Section: Topological "Connections"mentioning

confidence: 99%

Policy mobilities as comparison: urbanization processes, repeated instances, topologies

Robinson

2018

Rev. Adm. Pública

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Following on from calls to reformat comparative urban methods to support global urban studies, this paper draws inspiration from policy mobilities to explore how the genetic interconnectedness of urban processes and outcomes can be mobilised methodologically to critique and extend concepts in urban theory through comparison. What might be the scope and tactics for a practice of comparison through connections, which can start anywhere and build comparisons and analytical insights across a very great diversity of urban experiences? This paper explores three possible ways to take this forward. Firstly, tracing a specific connection, such as a policy link, from one context to another or across a number of different contexts contributes to understanding specific urbanization processes. Secondly, following connections brings into view the range and variety of processes and outcomes in different contexts. In the highly transnationalised world of urban policy this method potentially links a very wide variety of diverse urban contexts and draws attention to a multiplicity of repeated instances of urban forms. Finally, the paper considers the potential to work with the array of transnational processes shaping distinctive policy outcomes and development paths as they come together in one specific place -to explore how "elsewhere" is folded in to localised growth paths. Thus, comparative practices could follow policy mobilities to explore the potential of a more topological imagination of thinking across different contexts, and bringing a diversity of urban contexts into analytical conversation. Along these lines, the invention of concepts and understandings of the urban might emerge anywhere, and perhaps find wider relevance across different situations. Following the trajectories of policy mobilities is thus not only a pathway to inventing new methods but also potentially new grounds for theorizing the urban. Keywords: comparative urbanism; policy mobilities; repeated instances; topological space. Comparando a mobilidade das políticas públicas: processos de urbanização, instâncias repetidas e topologiasEm resposta à urgência por reformatar métodos urbanos comparativos que proporcionem embasamento para estudos urbanos globais, este artigo se inspira na mobilidade de políticas para explorar como a interconexão genética de processos e resultados urbanos pode ser mobilizada metodologicamente para criticar e estender conceitos na teoria urbana por meio da comparação. Quais poderiam ser o escopo e as táticas para uma prática de comparação por meio de conexões, que comecem onde quer que seja e que construam comparações e insights analíticos em uma grande diversidade de experiências urbanas? Este artigo explora três maneiras possíveis de levar isso adiante. Em primeiro lugar, o rastreamento de uma conexão específica, como um link de políticas, de um contexto para outro ou entre vários contextos diversos, contribuindo para a compreensão de processos específicos de urbanização. Em segundo lugar, as conexões seguintes colocam em evid...

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“…Much scholarship, particularly in urban studies, has been dedicated to discussing methodological and epistemological aspects of comparative studies (e.g. Brenner, 2001;Jacobs, 2012;Masotti & Walton, 1976;McFarlane, 2010;Nijman, 2007;Robinson, 2011). From this literature, we identified the major issues of comparative research, but did so from the perspective of a planning context in which urban sprawl is of crucial importance.…”

Section: Drawbacks Of Comparative Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zwischenstadt as a travelling concept: towards a critical discussion of mobile ideas in transnational planning discourses on urban sprawl

Vicenzotti

Qviström

2017

European Planning Studies

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This article contributes to the advancement of the critical analysis of transnational flows of planning ideas with a particular focus on debates around urban sprawl. It emphasizes that travelling concepts tend to lose their critical content en route, and explores how they could be revived. Our argument starts by identifying the drawbacks of comparative studies in planning, and suggests an exploration of Edward Said's notion of travelling theories to avoid these dangers. Chronicling the import of the German concept of Zwischenstadt -which literally translated means '(in)between city' -into the Swedish planning research discourse on urban sprawl, we examine how travelling concepts tend to become institutionalized during their journey. We then explore ways to revive the critical content of Zwischenstadt by first considering translations of the context of travelling concepts and then deliberations on their literal translation, which emphasizes the fruitfulness of a landscape perspective as a critical lens on urbanization processes. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Commentary—Comparing Comparative Urbanisms

Cited by 60 publications

References 29 publications

A Comparative Study of Suburbanization in United States and China

A Comparative Study of Suburbanization in United States and China

Policy mobilities as comparison: urbanization processes, repeated instances, topologies

Zwischenstadt as a travelling concept: towards a critical discussion of mobile ideas in transnational planning discourses on urban sprawl

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