| Volume 7, Number 3, July 2010 |
Make a Better City Life
by 卢汉龙 Lu Hanlong |
The Urban Transformation in Asia
Some Policy Implications
by East West Center 东西方研究中心 |
| WORLD Expo 2010 Shanghai China is the first time in the World Expo history that “city” has been employed as its theme. Its English expression, “Better City, Better Life”, when rendered back into Chinese, holds the same meaning. This leads us to fathom on the Shanghai World Expo’s another underlying theme: “life”. Apparently, “Better City, Better Life” is a phrasing in aligned symmetry—a neutral expression; it expects a better city, which begets a better life. However, the current Chinese theme of Shanghai World Expo is stated as “City Makes Life Better”, which conveys a meaning somewhat different from its English version. Since, as shown, “City Makes Life Better” is an overtly judgmental sentence, which delivers a message that a city will necessarily bring about a better, enriched life, the semantic background of this would have aroused a feeling of what is called “urban preference”. This statement does not truthfully reflect the urbanization process we have undergone since the commencement of the twentieth century. The fact is that “city” and “good life” are not...
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IN August 2008, the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i brought together a small group of mayors and other high-level government leaders, urban planning practitioners, civil society representatives, and urbanization scholars from the United States, Asia, and elsewhere to examine and reflect on current trends, implications, and long-term strategic visions for managing Asia’s urban growth. This gathering took place at the Imin International Conference Center on the East-West Center campus. The primary purpose of the three-day seminar was to facilitate a common understanding of some of the challenges and policy options surrounding the rapid growth of cities in Asia. In an informal round-table format that encouraged peer-to-peer exchanges and one-on-one conversations, the participants shared ideas, information, and experiences. The lively group discussions explored a wide range of issues that reflected the diverse perspectives and interests of the participants. All discussions were nonofficial, frank, and not for attribution. This report summarizes...
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| Issue 7.3 |
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Make a Better City Life
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