Do we need more “Sex, Drugs and Rock’n’Roll”? A Case study analysis of Urbanities in an Authoritarian Context

The nearly instantaneous creation of new cities – or parts of cities – has led to a previously disregarded issue. Newly-build stock may have been designed by famous architects and inspires awe in any observer but the population living in the space often feels unwelcome and uncomfortable. This stark contrast lies at the core of the discussion about the relation between space and society and requires us to find a way to create urban fabric. On a functional level, Lynch (1954) characterises the form of a city by density, grain, shape and pattern, but falls short on introducing social aspects. On a social level, Tuan (1975) equates meaning of a space with experience in the space. Space acquires meaning by experience on a personal, interpersonal, and societal level. A space is formed into a place by arts, education and politics. The interplay of Lynch’s functional form and Tuan’s social experience lays the foundation for urban fabric. However, a concise definition of the urban fabric remains elusive as issues of identity of the actors involved and the related intersubjective understandings of material facts ultimately determine it. The former port of Tanjong Pagar near downtown Singapore is to be replaced with a new urban core. The challenges of creating urban fabric that its inhabitants coproduce and accept plays a major role in this case study. China is pursuing similar projects, albeit at a larger scale, like the Xiongan New Area near Beijing. In previous instances, China has turned to its smaller neighbour as a reference point (Ortmann, 2012) therefore begging the question of whether Singapore’s approach can be again employed as a model. We will discuss the process for Tanjong Pagar and examine the strategy for Xiongan New Area and gauge to what extent these processes leave room for social experience - which we allude to as “sex, drugs and rock’n’roll” - or whether they are fully determined by functional forms.