Raphaëlle ROFFO Master Governing the Large Metropolis Spring Semester 2013 Asian Metropolis – Book review Building Globalization, Transnational Architecture Production in Urban China Xuefei REN In Building Globalization, Xuefei Ren proposes a very original and inspiring approach to the urban fabric at work in China: she explores the way urbanization and globalization closely intertwine in the cities of Beijing and Shanghai through the lens of architectural design. However this book is not about architecture per se, but rather an in-depth analysis of networks and actors involved in architectural production, and a reflection on the social, cultural, institutional and economic implications of the recent transformations of the urban space. The author, by mobilizing a large array of theoretical notions developed by S. Sassen, P. J. Taylor, D. McNeill, and mixing methods such as network analysis but also ethnographic observations, truly manages to go beyond the usual findings of global city literature. Thanks to a very narrow focus on iconic architecture, she finely analyzes the shifts in power relations and the rise of new players, allowed by globalization and the opening of Chinese economy. The ook’s main thesis is that urban space is a strategic terrain where symbolic spatial production, materialized in architecture, generates capital accumulation and a reconfiguration of the power balances. Ren examines the way transnational architecture design firms use the field of aspiring global-cities to transform their symbolic capital into economic, cultural and social assets. Conversely, she also looks at the key role played by local authorities who use star hite ture to sig if a it ’s orthi ess i a i reasi gl o petiti e glo al e o o . In the first two chapters, Ren elaborates on the process of transnational architectural production, which was enabled by the development of ICT, the liberalization of services trade, power rescaling at the metropolitan level and the increasing importance of symbolic capital in cities aiming at a global-city status. Based on both quantitative and qualitative data, she develops a mapping of architectural firms with a clear opposition between small innovative boutiques that produce eyecatching and creative buildings, and large transnational firms whose corporate approach favors homogenization in design aesthetics worldwide. E a i i g the odes a d ties of those fir s’ networks, she builds a relational analysis revealing two types of world cities: transnational ar hite ture produ tio pla es Rotterda , Basel… , or o su ptio pla es Du ai, Beiji g, “ha ghai… . In this configuration of the architectural design market, China obviously is a remarkable field of experiment for foreign architects, with a not-yet saturated real estate market and strong willingness of the state, business and professional elites to promote modern architecture. But by inviting them, Chinese authorities have created tensions: aesthetical aims and personal agenda of Raphaëlle ROFFO Master Governing the Large Metropolis Spring Semester 2013 the architects usually clash with both residents and local taste-maker elites, and dramatically disturb local social dynamics. The ou tr ’s relatio to tra s atio al ar hite ture is highly ambiguous, and the author proposes three case studies to explore those dynamics. Their quality mostly relies on the quality and precision of qualitative data. First, Ren focuses on “OHO’s marketing strategy, in particular for its SOHO Jianwai project in Beiji g’s usi ess distri t. This real-estate company owned by the powerful Chinese businessman Pan Shiyi mobilized artistic happenings, media events, publications and branding of new concepts, marketed as a symbol of cosmopolitan elite, to attract entrepreneurs and high-income professionals into very neutral apartments suitable both as living apartments or commercial offices. Here is emphasized the role of transnational cultural elites and how national entrepreneurs such as Pan Shiyi turn the power of symbols into real-estate value. Then, heritage and preservation issues are questioned with the case of Shanghai Xintiandi, which exemplifies the recent policy shift from demolitions (拆 chai) to preservation (保 bao). This urban renewal project led by Hong Kong entrepreneur Vincent Lo (head of Shui On Group) and designed by US architect Ben Wood has turned the former decrepit shikumen into the trendiest venue and nightlife hotspot in Shanghai, glamorously showcasing the it ’s colonial heritage. Ren argues the transnational dimension of this history is what makes it highly marketable and allows the reinvention of cultural heritage; the comparison she draws ith Beiji g’s own difficulties to reinterpret and glamorize its architectural heritage is enlightening in that sense. We get a real insight of the process and transactions operated between the various actors of the project and in particular the role of personal connections, emphasizing the combination of state-led and market-driven elements in the evolution of institutional and legal framework. The third case study finally brings back the State into the process of architectural production, with the 2008 Olympics National Stadium designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron and the contentious commissioning and realization of the Bird’s Nest . The de ate as i te se arou d the ar hite ts’ atio alit a d the respect of an authentic Chinese culture that needed to be conveyed by this symbolic infrastructure. The controversy brought to the light the tensions and ambiguities embedded in local and national authorities’ strateg to a hie e economic and financial autonomy by branding their transnational character and attractiveness for global capital. It also demonstrates the way the State solidifies its power precisely through such iconic monuments, and how collaboration with smaller Chinese design firms ensures the project is well-suited for the local context, therefore successful. Finally, in the last chapter, the author makes explicit her thesis and mobilizes Bourdieu’s theoreti al fra e ork to demonstrate the power of symbolic capital. Territorial elites are repositioning in Chinese metropolises with the rise of mobile cultural elites and a new property-owners class. Besides, complex relationships tie transnational companies and local governments so that no long-term growth coalitions emerge, but instead informal and project-based public-private partnerships. The argument is very clear and the author takes part in the debate, underlining the fragility of the current top-down approach to city-making and advocating for a critical and creative input of ordinary citizens. Still, some critiques such as Ryan Centner deplore a certain ambiguity from the author, who does not really question the global-city theoretical framework. But one can argue that the notion is used with a certain irony and distance. Far from advocating the global-city model, Ren Raphaëlle ROFFO Master Governing the Large Metropolis Spring Semester 2013 simply highlights the way powerful actors on both governmental and market sides choose to mobilize this discourse and brand their city accordingly in order to attract foreign investors and achieve their postindustrial reconversion. Policy-makers in the 1990s assumed that a global-city environment was the best way to achieve autonomy towards foreign investors, which basically reverses the causal hai e edded i “asse ’s theory! Nevertheless, we can regret that, in this study of Chinese uneven urban development, exclusion mechanisms and property rights ere ’t further a al zed, even though this is an already widely discussed question. Reading for instance You-Tie Hsi g’s ethnographic work on politics of land and property in Beijing may bring a helpful light o reside ts’ resistance and grassroots opposition movements, and allow better understanding and contextualization of Chinese urban transformation. We should also keep in mind when reading this book that “ha ghai a d Beiji g’s posti dustrial shift also rel o the fu da e tal a ufa turi g a d industrial activities that remain the basis of Chinese economy. Last, the valorization of foreign symbolic capital and unsentimental relation to heritage preservation are actually not new, but two hara teristi s deepl rooted i to the ou tr ’s histor ; urre t path of ur a izatio a d architectural frenzy simply made them more striking. This inspiring book, thanks to its multidisciplinary approach, opens a wide range of new debates for those interested into Chinese urban dynamics. But even further, looking through the mirror of China allows a broader reflection on the conditions and power structures behind the development of new cityscapes worldwide.