Abstract:
The importation of modern American urban design practices into East Asia during the opening decades of the twentieth century fundamentally redefined the environmental form of cities. Whilst it is acknowledged that the introduction of the City Beautiful led to the endorsement of spatial forms dissimilar to what had hitherto existed, not much is currently known about why city planning became such a fundamental component of governance at that time, and what impact urban design had upon the local civilization and the construction of nationhood. Consequently this presentation explains the form and meaning of the first generation of Asian City Beautiful projects implemented between 1905 and 1916 as part of America’s early colonial administration of the Philippines.
Short bio:
Ian Morley is an Assistant Professor of Urban History in the Department of History, and Assistant Professor (by Courtesy) on CUHK’s Urban Studies Programme. He has published widely on the design of built environments during the late-1800s and early-1900s. From 2009 to 2014 he was the Book Review Editor for Urban Morphology: Journal of the International Seminar on Urban Form. He currently is an editorial board member of the journal Planning Perspectives as well as a council member of the International Planning History Society. He is the recipient of the 2010, 2011, and 2014 History Department Teaching Award.
Please click here for the Youtube video of Prof. Morley's seminar.
