Perennial Debate on Urban Change

The legitimacy of planned urban change, or ill-planned urban change, or excessively-planned urban change, has been a subject of perennial debate in urban planning and design profession. Beijing, under a deliberate ambition, is now remaking its urban legacy into new one with eye-catching Olympic venues, iconic landmark buildings and massive renewal quarters. Yet, this deliberate change is not new - Paris is also new one remade in the 19th century and New York in the 20th century, both through authoritative clearance schemes. How about Seoul?

The picture shows an elevated highway running through tight space between old buildings - one of Robert Moses work in New York City during the mid-20th century.