THE SUBLIME OBJECT OF THE SMART CITY
by Jeremy Harrienger | 1st year Graduate in Architecture, Rice University
ABSTRACT
Smart Cities lie amid an entanglement of technology, politics, and finance; a mess of jurisdictional overlaps and top-down development all propelled by a sublime notion.
The Smart City project is an undertaking of the sublime object of control. Control of the city, through its rich substrate of data. Since the era of modernization, infrastructure projects (especially at a national level) have been the biggest and most visible attempts to bring sublime ideas to life. In the 20th century, highways represented the notion of ubiquitous travel. In the 21st century, one of the new most sought-after sublime projects is the Smart City.
Smart cities are defined as better resource management through data collection at many levels. Better living through surveillance. But what kind of future are we building in these cities?
Here, the example of Masdar City and New Songdo City is used to illustrate the various players involved with the creation of these rapidly developed, and floridly marketed mini-metropolises.
And all of this stems from an interpretation of what “smartness” itself even means in the first place.
This is where our story begins, with the idea to make everything smart.
The Smart City imagines itself as exempted from the friction of place.
Masdar shows the awkward collage of vernacular and contemporary building tech.
Halfway around the world, New Songdo attempts to realize what Masdar did not.
Photo by the Southern China Morning Post
Songdo’s smartness hinges on green practices and spaces.
New Songdo City, South Korea
Photo by Ken Eckert
This is where our story ends, for now. An empty question, waiting for answers.
Sources and links:
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[13.] Rahn, Kim. “Songdo to host UN climate fund.” Korea Times, 21 October 2012.
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[16.] White, Chris, “South Korea’s ‘Smart City’ Songdo: not quite smart enough?” South China Morning Post, 25 March 2018. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/business/article/2137838/south-koreas-smart-city-songdo-not-quite-smart-enough
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