Visionary cities or spaces of uncertainty? Satellite cities and new towns in emerging economies

摘要

Satellite cities and new towns have recently captured urban imaginations of planners, property developers and politicians in the Global South and East, and are also emerging as a research topic in urban studies, planning and development studies. With emblematic names like Techno City, Eco City and Hope City they embody a new property investment frontier and an optimistic belief in economic growth driven by a rising middle class. This special issue critically explores the various manifestations and dimensions of satellite city and new town development in emerging economies. These cities characterize contemporary processes of urban development. Planned on greenfield sites some distance away from the existent city and the problems associated with rapid urbanization, they provide planners and developers with the opportunity to develop semi-autonomous cities based on visionary urban designs. As status projects they represent a nationalist ideal and new belief in city-planning, often reflecting forms of social engineering and a historical belief in the ability to plan for entire societies and economies. They intend to connect people, regions and sectors to the global economy, relying on branding strategies in order to attract foreign investors and to compete with other such cities elsewhere.