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Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to rethink new city making in the Global South and suggests a need for a paradigm shift with the possibility of more community and bottom-up approaches. It looks into how the new governance framework implicit in a charter city model can enable this more bottom-up, emergent approach.

Paper long abstract:

Planning is a discipline of shifting paradigms, from the functional modern city to the rational-comprehensive approach to the current return of place. But how has (or will) the discipline shift in response to the rise in recent decades of new city building around the globe? With at least 100 new cities in conception or under construction in India; dozens more underway in each of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America; and over 600 new cities currently either being designed or being built in China—the answer to this question will affect the lives of potentially millions of individuals. As it stands, most new cities built recently or currently being developed are over-planned. Currently, urban plans often follow either the Chinese-grid planning paradigm or an American suburban model. Those approaches leave little to no space for local adaptation, emergent market forces, and the agency of residents to shape their cities over time. New cities can be an excellent opportunity to inject urban economic vibrancy, solve market failures, and unlock innovation. However, until a deliberate shift occurs in the planning paradigms of these new city developments, they will continue to suffer from common challenges. It aims to rethink new city making in the Global South and suggests a need for a paradigm shift. The paper examines the possibility of more community and bottom-up approaches in new city developments. It looks into how the new governance framework implicit in a charter city model can enable this more bottom-up, emergent approach.