When Alphabet Inc. plans Toronto's waterfront: New post-political modes of urban governance

in Urban Planning (2020), 5(1), 69-83

‘Smart cities’ has become a hegemonic concept in urban discourses, despite substantial criticism presented by scholarly research and activism. The aim of this research was to understand what happens when ... [more ▼]

‘Smart cities’ has become a hegemonic concept in urban discourses, despite substantial criticism presented by scholarly research and activism. The aim of this research was to understand what happens when one of the big digital corporations enters the field of real estate and land use development and urban planning, how existing institutions respond to this, and how modes of urban governance are affected. Alphabet Inc.’s plans for Toronto’s waterfront provided insights into these questions. Our investigations traced a complex web of place-making practices that involved all levels of government, the general public, and networks of actors throughout the private sector. Methodologically, the discourse was reconstructed with local fieldwork, interviews with key actors, participating in tours and public meetings, and secondary sources. It was found that Alphabet Inc.’s plan to build a world-class digital city contained some lessons for urban studies and urban planning practice. First, Alphabet Inc.’s plans, which unfolded amidst initiatives to expand the knowledge economy, confirmed concerns that the trajectory of neoliberal, market-driven land use and speculation along the waterfront remains unchanged. Second, digital infrastructures are potentially a Trojan Horse. Third, it was seen that municipalities and their modes of urban planning are vulnerable to the political economic manoeuvrings of large corporate power. Fourth, Alphabet Inc. operates as a post-political package driven by a new coalition of politics, where the smart city is sold as a neutral technology. The controversies surrounding the project, however, stirred a civic discourse that might signal a return of the political. [less ▲]

"Keine Schwarzseher" Forscher der Universität Luxemburg unterstützen Jugendliche von "Fridays for Future"

Article for general public (2019)

Luxembourg’s free public transport sounds great. It isn't

Article for general public (2019)

This is a reproduction of Carr/Hesse's 2019 "Luxembourg’s free public transport sounds great, but it won’t help people get from A to B" published Jan 16, 2019, in The Conversation. Available at:https ... [more ▼]

This is a reproduction of Carr/Hesse's 2019 "Luxembourg’s free public transport sounds great, but it won’t help people get from A to B" published Jan 16, 2019, in The Conversation. Available at:https://theconversation.com/luxembourgs-free-public-transport-sounds-great-but-it-wont-help-people-get-from-a-to-b-109695 [less ▲]

Introducing Luxembourg: Ephemeral Sustainabilities

in Krueger, Rob; Freytag, Tim; Mössner, Samuel (Eds.) Adventures in Sustainable Urbanism (2019)

Table of Contents 1. Constructing Sustainable Development Robert Krueger, Tim Freytag and Samuel Mossner 2. The Rise of Sustainable Urban Development Robert Krueger, Tim Freytag, and Samuel Mossner 3. A ... [more ▼]

Table of Contents 1. Constructing Sustainable Development Robert Krueger, Tim Freytag and Samuel Mossner 2. The Rise of Sustainable Urban Development Robert Krueger, Tim Freytag, and Samuel Mossner 3. A Tale of Two Cities: Christchurch, New Zealand, and Sustainable Urban Disaster Recovery Tim Baird and C. Michael Hall 4. Reworking Newtown Creek Winifred Curran and Trina Hamilton 5. From Sprawling Cowtown to Social Sustainability Pioneer: The Sustainability Journey of Calgary, Alberta Freya Kristensen 6. The Greenest City Experience: Exploring Social Action and Social Sustainability in Vancouver, Canada Marit Rosol and Cristina Temenos 7. Introducing Luxembourg: Ephemeral Sustainabilities Constance Carr 8. Montpellier Écocité: From Growth Machine to Sustainability? David Giband 9. Building Ecopolis in the World’s Factory: A Field Note on Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city I-Chun Catherine Chang 10. Sustainable Empire? Michal Kohout 11. Middle-Class Family Enclavism and Solidarity from a Distance Notes from a Field of Contradictions in Dortmund, Germany Susanne Frank 12. A Conclusion? Or, Toward a New Beginning? Robert Krueger, Tim Freytag, and Samuel Mossner [less ▲]

Free Transit in Luxembourg: A case of post-political urban governance through policy mobility

in Witlox, Frank (Ed.) Moving Towards More Sustainable Mobility and Transport through Smart Systems - Proceedings of the BIVEC-GIBET Transport Research Days 2019 (2019)

Smart cities and risk: When digital urban development gets political

Presentation (2019)

Q&A about writing experiences, skills, and publication practices in urban studies

Presentation (2019)

The land question of the future is regional: Planning, borders, and the case of Trier-Luxembourg

Presentation (2019)

Digital Cities are not void of politics: Quayside as an example of what happens when Big Tech gets into real estate

Presentation (2019)

The socio-spatial production of non-market housing in urban regions under growth pressure: Thinking comparatively and relationally

Presentation (2018)

This paper explores non-market housing in urban regions under growth pressure, and aims to open up a conversation about how modes of housing and related policies might be conceptualized in urban ... [more ▼]

This paper explores non-market housing in urban regions under growth pressure, and aims to open up a conversation about how modes of housing and related policies might be conceptualized in urban geographical scholarship, in order to broaden the possible range of housing policy measures beyond the rather narrow imperative of market solutions, that prevail here and elsewhere. The project is extension of a larger project that I have been working on for many years together with Markus Hesse examining spatial planning problems in urban regions under growth pressure. We began with exploring sustainable spatial development in Luxembourg, then we studied of regional governance in Switzerland for comparison, and now we are moving on towards one component that is central to the topic: housing and housing in non-market contexts. But how might one effectively conceptualize housing, given what we know about recent scholarship in urban studies? I'd like to argue that (1) there is much to be learned with urban comparison; (2) following the policy mobility literature, simply importing ready-made templates would be, at best (!), risky; (3) Storper's (2014) application of bricolage is useful inspiration for understanding urban transformation processes that are forever changing and in flux. [less ▲]