The cities of the Pacific Rim are in one of the most dynamic spheres of the global economy. In the twenty first century the focus of global affairs is destined to shift from the West to the East. These cities offer a wide range of different responses to the demands that rapid growth puts on planning and infrastructure : from the laxity that has lead to the urban sprawl of Bangkok to the regulation that is characteristic of Singapore. This book considers the interactive relationships between the operation of the planning system and the role and performance of property development and real estate markets in 14 Pacific Rim cities drawn from both the Eastern and Western perspective. The dynamic underlying these relationships considers the interplay between administrative structures; legislative controls and policy issues examining the role of actors and agencies in the property development and investment process.
2002-11-01 2002-11-01File Name: B000PWQTA8
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Occupy the cultural commonsBy Malvinldquo;The Peoplersquo;s Platformrdquo; by Astra Taylor is a timely discussion about the Internet; media and artistry. Ms. Taylor is an accomplished documentary filmmaker; musician; writer and activist. This visionary; intelligent and passionate book explains why we must Occupy the cultural commons to secure a better future.Ms. Taylor reminds us that the on-and offline worlds are deeply connected. Sharing her own struggles with us; Ms. Taylor explains how the work of cultural production remains labor intensive for most filmmakers; musicians and journalists. However; as the Internet forces prices down to zero due to the relative ease of copying and distributing content; the author contends that the ecosystem supporting cultural producers has been rapidly crumbling around us.As corporations shed workers dedicated to important vocations such as investigative journalism; Ms. Taylor challenges the ludicrous idea that mass amateurism can substitute for the work of dedicated professionals. The rhetoric of end user empowerment masks a private agenda to profits from the publicrsquo;s voluntary labors; while BPrsquo;s purchase of search terms related to the recent Gulf oil spill demonstrates how corporations use their power to control the message. Discussing the Internetrsquo;s rampant sexism; inequality and lack of diversity; Ms. Taylor convincingly argues that the Internet has reinforced the power structures of the real world ndash; not empowered the weak.One of the finest attributes of this book is how Ms. Taylor challenges the libertarianism of the technology industry. Ms. Taylor says that practically; the Net is not really an open platform. Private corporations own the wires and hardware that comprise the physical layer; the user interfaces that are designed to serve up endless streams of profitable advertising messages; and the many thousands of data points that are mined from our online behaviors. Peer to peer networking might well represent a generalized frustration with corporate profiteering; Ms. Taylor observes; but does nothing to help producers make a living.Ms. Taylor believes we must build a ldquo;sustainable culturerdquo; to address these myriad problems holistically. These include regulating the Internet as a public utility; funding public news; separating corporate monopolies; imposing common carrier obligations; and so on. It seems to me that most of Ms. Taylorrsquo;s proposals are more than reasonable if we accept that we are still citizens living in a democratic society.I highly recommend this outstanding book to everyone.21 of 23 people found the following review helpful. A downer; but an essential read for the 21C; nevertheless.By Naum TrifanoffDocumentary filmmaker Taylor skewers the romanticism of utopian new net heralds. That the promise of an open; democratic internet has been subverted by corporate overlords; monopolistic titans; public relations shills; and destructive wasteful advertising interests. In the process; shredding journalism (to which Taylor repeatedly refers to now as "churnalism") and transforming the media realm into hamster wheel (my words here; not hers) where every click is measured and logged for the science of predictive marketing. Depressing; because she is correct here -- though I do believe its not in complete entirety and that this state is due in large part to web users themselves; who are indeed attracted to this model. Saddening; because reading this confirmed my own evolving darkened view of the web; as once I had so much faith in the power of the networked web. Taylor chronicles the obscenity of pay-per-click; the wasted resources (in both money and carbon). Even noting the irony that it was government that created these modern marvels; only to witness now private corporate entities siphon all the goodness in erecting their media empires and their quest to swallow all. That this unethical conflict of interest and crass commercialism reigns in the online realm; where it be considered offensive anywhere else. In the meantime; she questions whether this is a good arrangement for creative workers; who now are relegated to compete in a winner-take-all lottery; with no security; and most not making even enough to live on. Here; its personal for Taylor -- while she strives to adopt an objective mantle; her experiential background surfaces again and again.Taylor; like a lot of creative professionals; feels like she can belong to neither side in the digital rights battles -- that both sides error egregiously; both the media company overlords and the "everything should be free" crowd.Knocking off a star because the text is repetitive and redundant in driving home her points; even if she conducts her take in a lustered fashion. Also; while recognizing the government creation; I didnt see any mention that most of the tools used to create and publish web "creative" products are the result of those free software loving hippies. Yes; its acknowledged that a good number of F/OSS (Free/Open Source Software) developers are in the employ of for-profit corporations; so that they can put bread on the table. Though it cant be stressed enough that most of the new media prophets wane eloquently on the greatness of the new age; but yet still draw their livelihood from traditional employers; a future thats growing increasingly impossible for many educated and talented young (and older too) creative workers; due to this "creative destruction" hailed by such luminaries.Some other qualms I have with her arguments (and remedy proposals):* **Failure to distinguish between *text* and *media* (audio or video).** Especially in the matter of digital rights. Yes; this meanders into "the power of plain text"; technical details of encoding scheme ownership; etc. But it is an important distinction.* **Failure to promote the power of existing state of internet publishing.** I dont discount the criticism proffered by Taylor in transforming the open net into a click farm and even believe the moniker of "digital sharecropper" is apropos. But; consider that it is so wondrous and such a marvel that in the 21C you have the power to publish a creative work that *anyone* across the *globe* (with an internet connection) can read (or listen or view). Because; in large part; due to Tim Berners-Lee great vision. And all of those F/OSS hippies who contributed tools such as Apache web server; the WordPress blogging platform; etc...* **20C solutions to a 21C problem.** Really need to think outside of the box here; as 20C solutions (Taylor references past initiatives that created public broadcasting; FCC stipulations on serving "public interest"; some copyright law fiddling with ponying up more money for longer copyright; software patent reform; etc.) Taylor cites European nation measures to deal with some of these issues; but still; we need to think bigger here.But nevertheless; this is essential reading for anyone interested or concerned with where we are headed with the internet. Its a conversation that must be conducted.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I disagreed on almost every page; but this book raises important issues.By A. MILLERAs someone with sympathies to tech and business; I disagreed with Taylor on almost every page of the book. She frequently oversimplifies the issues and relies far too heavily on anecdotes. My main criticism is that she does little to discuss the upsides of technology while focusing solely on its downsides (thereby offering no real solutions to the problems she raises). All that being said this is a great book. Assuming that you are familiar with all the benefits of technology; this book is a great reference to keep on your shelf. Its thought-provoking and touches on many of the most sensitive issues surrounding technology that gets lost in the techno-optimist bubble of Silicon Valley.