Intellectuals and the production of space in the urban renewal process in Hong Kong and Taipei

Abstract

Through two concrete urban renewal cases in Asia, this paper develops a schema of “social engineers-smugglers-experts-critical experts” to differentiate the roles of system-maintaining and system-transforming intellectuals in the production of space. While pro-establishment “social engineers” and “experts” use their “epistemic authority” to produce top-down renewal plans to promote exchange values, “critical experts” outside the government and “smugglers” within the bureaucracy play significant roles in “de-coding” the use values of people's lived spaces. The cases highlight the important roles of system-transforming intellectuals in re-problematizing urban renewal issues and experimenting with alternative policies and plans to restructure space that sustains community building.

Keywords::

• Intellectuals
• social engineers
• experts
• smugglers
• critical experts
• production of space

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (project numbers CUHK749309 and CUHK750610). I would like to thank the three anonymous reviewers and the editorial board members for their penetrating, critical and yet constructive comments. All the faults that remain are, of course, mine.

Notes

^1. The interviews in Hong Kong took place in the summer months of 2009, 2010 and 2013 and the interviews in Taipei took place in the summer months of 2010.

^2. Because of water shortage in the 1960s, salt water was then used to mix concrete in construction works.

^3. Organization of Urban Re-s represents “Re-design”, “Re-plan”, “Re-build”, Review, Revolution, for example. It is the first NGO and NPO in Taiwan focusing on critical analysis of policy as well as urban spatial restructuring issues. For more information, please visit: http://www.ours.org.tw/about.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mee-Kam Ng

Mee Kam Ng is Vice-Chairman of the Department of Geography and Resource Management, Director of the Urban Studies Programme and Associate Director of the Institute of Future Cities at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), a fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Planners (HKIP) and academic advisor of the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design.