AsslgnmenL 2 - 8ook 8evlew

Reflections on Spatial Planning Practices (LUP-31806)

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8evlewer : llsqa 1asyara
8evlew :
ClLles are ofLen blamed for Lhe desLrucLlon of envlronmenL, spreads of lllness, and Lhe andora 8ox of all
evll. 8uL llke flre Lo moLhs, clLles aLLracL noL only clLlzens ln dlre need of new opporLunlLles, buL also
researchers, urban deslgners and spaLlal planners. lndeed clLles have lmporLanL roles ln human hlsLory
and 1he 1rlumph of Lhe ClLy glves a [usLlflcaLlon of Lhls. Ldward Claeser's narraLlon explalns Lhe role of
clLles Lo Lhe growLh of clvlllzaLlon, culLures and economlc wlLh Lhe envlronmenLal beneflLs LhaL come
wlLh lL.
Ldward Claeser mlghL be one of Lhe mosL LalenLed urban economlsL, buL hls lnLeresL Lo Lhe role of
geography and how geographlc proxlmlLy plays ln creaLlng knowledge and lnnovaLlon helps Lhls book Lo
relaLe Lo noL only economlc socleLy buL also spaLlal planners and pollcy makers. 8elng an economlsL, lL
would only be loglcal for hlm Lo also analyze urban growLh from Lhe economlcal aspecL LhaL a loL of
planners ofLen mlss. neverLheless, hls paragraphs are noL fllled wlLh economlc [argons or numbers,
maklng Lhem easy Lo read. lollowlng Claeser's Lrall of LhoughL, we would undersLand LhaL Lo learn abouL
Lhe secreLs of flourlshlng clLles llke new ?ork and London, one musL also undersLand abouL Lhe fall of
ueLrolL and klnshasa. Pow clLles grows, how urban sprawl flourlsh, and how Lhe clLles as dynamlc
maLLers funcLlon.
Cne mlghL argue LhaL humans are enLerlng Lhe age of lnformaLlon Lechnology, of cars and road, and of
vlrLual reallLles. 8angalore ls Lhrown Lo Lhe Lable Lo show LhaL yes, when experLs analyze urban growLh
from Lhe economlc aspecL, hlgh revenue can be achleved vla wlreless Lechnology. ln hls book, Claeser
argues LhaL face-Lo-face conLacL leads Lo more LrusL, generoslLy, and cooperaLlon Lhan any oLher sorL of
lnLeracLlon. 1hls underlylng need along wlLh Lhe advancemenL of cars LhaL creaLes Lhe Lrend of urban
sprawls ln Lhe so called Lhrlvlng sub-urban - LhaL Claeser also flnally opLed Lo llve ln - magnlfy Lhe urban
lssues Lo boLh hlgher level and blgger level.
1o quoLe Claeser, ldeas spread more easlly ln denser places". ClusLerlng ln dense urban areas also
helps Lhe exchange of ldeas, provldlng spaces and opporLunlLles for Lhe creaLlves Lo learn from each
oLher and develop Lhelr poLenLlals. Close proxlmlLy magnlfles poLenLlal LalenLs by sLlmulaLlng
lnLeracLlons and lnnovaLlon Lhrough forces of compeLlLlon. PlsLory shows LhaL close proxlmlLy and dense
urban houslng unforLunaLely also lncrease Lhe chance for concenLraLed poverLy and crlme, noL Lo
menLlon Lhe healLh and sanlLaLlon lssues. Cn Lhe oLher hand, hlsLory also shows LhaL such lssues can be
handled wlLh proper developmenL pollcy and acLlons. Claeser, Lo experLs' aghasL, could also provlde
sLrong argumenL LhaL Lhe presence of urban poverLy ls a slgn of progress. ln hls words, clLles do noL
make people poor, Lhey aLLracL poor people who leave behlnd rural hardshlp ln search for a brlghL
fuLure. ln hls defense for Lhe urban areas, clLles where Lhe people sLay poor are Lhe wrong klnd of clLy
and belng poor ln Lhe clLles ls sLlll beLLer Lhan belng poor ln rural areas.
AsslgnmenL 2 - 8ook 8evlew
Reflections on Spatial Planning Practices (LUP-31806)
1hls ls hand ln hand wlLh hls nexL noLlon of clLles as expenslve llvlng place LhaL provlde all Lhe amenlLles
could ever lmaglned Lo caLer Lhe rlch and famous. AlLhough he reallze LhaL lL would noL be easy Lo llve ln
a clLy, he could supporL Lhe ldea LhaL people ln clLles wlll noL only be rlcher and more producLlve, buL
also happler, healLhler and has Lhe chance of llvlng longer. 1he LransformaLlon of clLles from places of
producLlon Lo places of consumpLlons does noL happened overnlghL, lndlvldual LransformaLlon could
follow along, evenLually.
lanners and pollcy makers can learn a loL from Lhe 1rlumph of Lhe ClLy where he explalns and argues
abouL Lhe good and Lhe bad of governmenL pollcles on lnvesLmenLs, subsldles, and lncenLlves ln houslng
and all urban lnfrasLrucLures. Cood and bad examples of Lhls are Lhrown all over Lhe book, of clLles ln
developed, developlng and underdeveloped counLrles. Pe shows Lhrough varlous examples how pollcles
lnLended for Lhe good of people someLlmes backflre and push clLles Lo an even lower sLaLe. Pow
preservlng old bulldlngs does noL help people have affordable houslng buL lnsLead lncrease Lhe value
and forclng low lncome-people ouL, how cheap houslngs lnLended Lo re[uvenaLe ueLrolL are belng lefL by
Lhelr old LenanLs, creaLlng vacanL and hosLlle spaces lnsLead, and how 'envlronmenLally frlendly'
developmenLs llke 1he Woodlands acLually consume more energy. Some pollcles do achleved poslLlve
slde effecL llke how Lhe 8llbao could re-flourlsh from Lhe creaLlon of culLural regeneraLlon LhaL aLLracLs
noL only Lhe arLlsL communlLles, buL also oLher hlghly skllled resldenLs. 1hrough Lhls book he also
proposes many clear and well-grounded pollcy suggesLlons. unsurprlslngly, among Lhe many, he suggesL
an economlc pollcy change, Lo sLop subsldlzlng suburban sprawl whlch lnclude Lax rules such as Lhe
morLgage lnLeresL raLe deducLlblllLy, road bulldlng wlLhouL road use charglng, lncome Lax, and carbon
LaxaLlon.
AnoLher suggesLlon he keeps repeaLlng ln Lhls book conLesLed Lhe noLlon belleved by many leaders ln
developlng counLrles, Lhe noLlon LhaL Lo achleve opLlmum growLh, lnvesLmenL Lo sLrucLures should be
sLrengLhened. 1hls book explalns undersLandably LhaL lL ls an edlflce error Lo Lhlnk LhaL physlcal
sLrucLure ls Lhe soluLlon of a clLy's comeback. 8ulldlng ls Lhe resulL of economlc vlLallLy, noL Lhe cause
of." CovernmenL should lnvesL malnly on people as a mass of connecLed humanlLy, noL on sLrucLures.
Claeser proposes LhaL clLy lnvesL ln human, and Lo see clLy noL as bulldlngs made of brlcks buL of flesh.
1o help noL Lhe poor places, buL Lhe poor people because baslcally under Lhe sLacks of concreLe people
are Lhe clLy bullder. 1o make a comeback ls Lo aLLracL skllled resldenLs, who can really make a clLy
rebound, especlally lf Lhose resldenLs can connecL wlLh Lhe world economy, [usL llke Lhe case of London,
new ?ork, 8angalore and Lhe Slllcon valley. 1o prosper clLles need enLrepreneurlal and educaLed people
also creaLlve and vlslonary ruler and pollcy makers.
LnvlronmenLallsLs are also challenged Lo reLhlnk Lhelr accusaLlon of clLy Lo be Lhe source of LarLh's
decay. Llvlng ln close clusLers of new ?ork ClLy and Lhe llke acLually lessen people's non-renewable
energy consumpLlons. Pe agrees Lo bulld up noL ouL, Lo lncorporaLe skyscrapers wlLh mlxed-use space -
parL offlces-parL flaLs. WlLh Lhls, clLles could ensure hlgh denslLy Lherefore fosLerlng lnLeracLlon and
lnnovaLlon. Such developmenL also defles Lhe common assumpLlons, skyscrapers are acLually more
energy-efflclenL Lhan horlzonLally spread sub-urban and Lhe commuLlng hablL lL forces Lo Lhe lnhablLanLs.
8elng an economlsL as he ls, he proposes Lhe loglcal way Lo address cllmaLe change ls noL by reduclng
slzes of clLy buL Lhrough a slmple carbon Lax".
AsslgnmenL 2 - 8ook 8evlew
Reflections on Spatial Planning Practices (LUP-31806)
1hls book when read sparlngly, maybe a chapLer per readlng, seems llke a very good read wlLh a loL of
lnslghLful vlew on urban developmenL. 1ry readlng Lhe whole book ln one go, one would reallze LhaL Lhe
flow beLween chapLers are noL as fluld. Pe keeps golng back and forLh wlLh hls ldeas. 8epeaLlng Lhe
same noLlon and elaboraLlng lL ln dlfferenL, and someLlmes very far aparL, chapLers LhaL creaLe LhaL
lLchlng feellng of de[a vu. 1he book feels more llke a compllaLlon of [ournal arLlcles.
Pe may argumenL sLrongly abouL how green urban llfe ls compared Lo suburban. unforLunaLely he
Lhlnks more llke Lhe currenL planners, abouL how clLles develop around LransporLaLlon. Pe forgoL abouL
Lhe carbon fooLprlnL urban people's food consumpLlon leave. noL Lo menLlon Lhe cloLhes and
Lechnologlcal devlce he used Lo wrlLe hls books. urban llvlng mlghL noL be a bad Lhlng, buL hls ldea LhaL
for Lhe sake of humanlLy and our planeL, clLles are - and musL be - Lhe wave of Lhe fuLure" moves me
behlnd Lhe pollce llne Lo be wlLh Lhe envlronmenLallsLs and rurallsL who are proLesLlng hls lecLures.
PlghllghLer pen ls an essenLlal company Lo readlng Lhls book. Claeser Lrles Lo presenL so many sLorles Lo
back hls argumenLs, Lhe maln polnLs could be burled under a heap of words. Lxamples glven are mosLly
from wesLern counLrles. 1hls ls noL a wrong Lhlng slnce mosL of Lhe oldesL developed clLles are locaLed ln
Lurope and Amerlca. Cnly few explanaLlons are glven abouL clLles ln lndla, Chlna and Slngapore. 8elng
an lndoneslan myself, l could feel Lhe pang of shame seelng Lhe name of my counLry only menLloned
once, Lo refer abouL corrupLlon. CLher Lhan LhaL, he also made a mlsLake abouL lL. We were never ruled
by a dlcLaLor. Cr were we? Cne Lhlng for sure, Lhls parL makes me Lhlnk abouL all examples ln Lhe book
as more hls vlew of Lhe problem as an ouLslder, whlch may noL be enLlrely correcL.
8eadlng Lhls book mlghL provlde a loL of lnslghL and a loL more Lhlngs Lo Lhlnk abouL urban plannlng and
governance, buL one musL noL forgeL LhaL Lhe wrlLer ls an experL ln economy who ls lnLeresLed Lo Lhe
connecLlon wlLh geography. SpaLlal planners musL dlgesL Lhe book wlLh an open mlnd. SeLLlng LhaL aslde,
Lhere ls one slmple senLence from Lhls book LhaL every planners and pollcy maker should remember
clLy bullders musL be vlslonarles, buL also reallsL."