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Hybrid Urban Modernities

Project description

An alternative theory of urban space

Tradition and modernity are the two aspects commonly shaping the theory of urban space in Middle East–North African (MENA) cities. So far, urban studies, design practices and policymaking have been strongly influenced by this dichotomy. The EU-funded Hybridities project aims to develop an alternative theory of urban space by using the concepts of space ordering, privacy and interiority. Hybridities will focus on two case study cities: Tehran and Casablanca. Eventually, the project will help to develop a hybrid, place-specific and empirically informed theory of space ordering for MENA cities. Two policy handbook documents for Tehran and Casablanca will be issued and a visual commentary on the indigenous modernities and local narratives of space ordering will be developed.

Objective

The theory of urban space in cities widely referred to as Middle East-North African has been grounded on a spatial dichotomy shaped by the binary opposition of tradition and modernity. This attitude has dominated urban studies, design practices, and policymaking. Literature which challenges this domination has been largely marginalised. To dislocate this marginalised discourse into the core of the global urban theory debate, this project uses the concept of space ordering and its two constituent themes of privacy and interiority to articulate an alternative, temporally and locally hybrid, theory of urban space which builds on the empirical evidence from the actual urban life in two cities of Casablanca and Tehran. The research employs a methodological bricolage approach to address its interdisciplinary nature. It utilises critical discourse analysis to investigate global debates on the spatial dichotomy of interior/exterior-public/private, and de-construct their manifestation in the (re)production of urban space in two case study cities of Tehran and Casablanca. It then develops a place-specific framework for empirical study of space ordering in two realms of materiality and everyday practices using a wide range of advanced methods. This framework will be applied to four case study neighbourhoods through intensive empirical fieldwork to explore whether and to what extent historical spatial logics are materially and socio-culturally (re)produced and practiced in the contemporary urban space. The findings will be synthesised to formulate an alternative theory of space ordering for the MENA cities which is hybrid, place-specific, and empirically-informed. Policy and planning implications will be incorporated into two Policy Handbook documents for Tehran and Casablanca. Finally, using recent achievements in digital ethnography, the project will create a visual commentary on the indigenous modernities and local narratives of space ordering in case study cities.

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019

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Coordinator

THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 224 933,76
Address
TRINITY LANE THE OLD SCHOOLS
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom

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Region
East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 224 933,76
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