Contested identities, contested building: planning for a glocal future

Abstract

PurposeIconic buildings, especially museums, are often enrolled in creating an identity for cities, yet cities and museums have been sometimes uneasy partners in using architecture to shape city identity. This paper examines the negotiations of place identity amid the conflicting influences of global design trends and local cultural nostalgia through the case of a single development in Aspen, Colorado.Design/methodology/approachIn this case study, using discourse analysis and grounded theory methods, the authors analyzed interviews, planning documents and critical opinions in the press to reveal the ways in which complex identities and contradictory planning directives shape a single building in a hyper-glocal Western town.FindingsThis analysis presents a place with complex and at times conflicting identities: residents have intense local concerns in parallel with global allegiances. The Aspen Art Museum building by Shigeru Ban similarly reflects a complex and contradictory identity with its bold design which confronted notions of local identity expressed in the built environment. Despite engaged citizenry and carefully crafted planning directives, the resulting design did not reflect locally produced culture but instead revealed the influence of international capital in the urban fabric.Originality/valueThis study examines the tension between hyper-local concerns and international status enacted on a single site in a small yet metropolitan place in the American West offering insights regarding the emplacement of buildings and the subsequent impacts on a place. As cities and institutions move beyond placeless iconic architecture, architecture and urban planning practice will need to adapt to the new paradigm where buildings can be at once global yet also local, drawing on innovative design practices and local culture in the construction of place.

Reshaping water-related urban places with collaborative participation: a critical examination of the Kabataş waterfront

“…However, the exploitation of heritage and culture for tourism and marketing, as well as the resulting alienation from reconstructing place identity through selective narratives tailored to global trends, are often criticised (Porfyriou and Sepe, 2017). Despite their limited access to decision-making, local residents play an important role in blurring the global-local distinction by interacting with and giving meaning to the place (Shelby et al, 2022). Meeting residents' needs requires understanding the coexistence of multiple place identities and negotiating the dynamic relationship between time, space and community.…”

Revolutionizing the Industrialization of Buildings with BIM and AI: Factors Influencing Adoption and Development and Building Planning

“…At the same time, BIM and AI technology can deal with the relationship between different factors and the structure of sub-factors and realize the fuzzy analysis of calculation results. In addition, BIM and AI technologies are also combined with other auxiliary databases to integrate theories such as statistics and mechanics into analysis [13], which is a comprehensive cloud computing. BIM and AI technology can realize the fitting analysis of influencing factors and the development of the construction industry and fit influencing factors with essential factors [14].…”

Economic powers encompass the largest cultural buildings: market, culture and equality in Stockholm, Sweden (1918–2023)

“…More recently, museums have diversified their reach to diverse audiences, competing against other cities for tourism and investment, and fostering public engagement (Lord, 2015). In fact, museums can reflect global markets rather than local interests (Shelby et al, 2022). In the past 40 years, an average of a thousand new museums have been opened globally per year, and with this increase, museums have become businessoriented (Guerzoni, 2015).…”