Ester van Steekelenburg - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Ester van Steekelenburg

Research paper thumbnail of THE CITY AT EYE LEVEL IN ASIAN CONTEXT van Steekelenburg, Cheung & Lee

The City at Eye Level Asia , 2021

Not all concepts that are successful in ‘the West’ may work in ‘the East’. Asia’s cities are boom... more Not all concepts that are successful in ‘the West’ may work in ‘the East’. Asia’s cities are booming, and rightly in their own unprecedented ways. There are no cookie-cutter solutions as each city is unique in its strengths and challenges. Hence solutions need to be tailored and contextual. And in order to arrive at that, city managers, activists and planners need to look for creative and innovative ways to involve, engage and entice multiple stakeholders, in particular those that dominate urban development, to understand that developing human-centric places that build communities can be profitable. In fact, it is precisely what savvy urban consumers are now demanding.

Research paper thumbnail of REIMAGINE HISTORY - CONNECTING PEOPLE AND PLACE IN SE ASIA Steekelenburg, Widodo & Brooke

The City at Eye Level Asia , 2021

People and place are inseparable; a two-in-one. A place without people is dead, and people make s... more People and place are inseparable; a two-in-one. A place without people is
dead, and people make spaces into places through their attachment. There are many ways for people to be attached to a place — from a mere glimpse, or a brief visit, to inhabitation. The longer one stays in a place, the more intense the interaction with the local community, and slowly attachments to the place form and grow into love. This process requires time; there are no quick fixes. The intangible traditions and tangible forms carry the memory and the identity of a place. It is the ‘DNA’ of the place that needs to be preserved and nurtured amidst inevitable changes along the historical timeline. The management of permanence and change is the essence of heritage conservation. The built environment reveals layers of the unique history of a city and its inhabitants. Placemakers value the soul of a city, and love to bring back life that may have gone missing over time. Old buildings and places have stories to tell, and placemaking has the power to reinvigorate that in new ways. Often historic parts of a city have unique and existing human-scale qualities that tend to get obscured by the longing for modernity in development. How to care for our heritage while moving ahead?

Research paper thumbnail of The reform of Shanghai's housing system: a comparative perspective

Http Hub Hku Hk Bib B42577299, 2003

Research paper thumbnail of The reform of Shanghai's housing system

Research paper thumbnail of Urban Housing in Mainland China: A New Chapter

Review of Urban and Regional Development Studies, 1999

This paper sets out a modest agenda. It briefly reviews the Mainland's urban housing initiatives ... more This paper sets out a modest agenda. It briefly reviews the Mainland's urban housing initiatives to date. It then questions whether these form part of a coherent and comprehensive housing strategy. While focusing on issues rather than data; it ends by stressing that planning without adequate facts is problematic. In sum, the spotlight is on questions that need yet to be answered; rather than the more ambitious task of prescribing a precise blueprint for simultaneously resolving all the issues at hand.

Research paper thumbnail of Urban Housing in Mainland China: A New Chapter

Review of Urban and Regional Development Studies, 1999

This paper sets out a modest agenda. It briefly reviews the Mainland's urban housing initiatives ... more This paper sets out a modest agenda. It briefly reviews the Mainland's urban housing initiatives to date. It then questions whether these form part of a coherent and comprehensive housing strategy. While focusing on issues rather than data; it ends by stressing that planning without adequate facts is problematic. In sum, the spotlight is on questions that need yet to be answered; rather than the more ambitious task of prescribing a precise blueprint for simultaneously resolving all the issues at hand.

Research paper thumbnail of THE CITY AT EYE LEVEL IN ASIAN CONTEXT van Steekelenburg, Cheung & Lee

The City at Eye Level Asia , 2021

Not all concepts that are successful in ‘the West’ may work in ‘the East’. Asia’s cities are boom... more Not all concepts that are successful in ‘the West’ may work in ‘the East’. Asia’s cities are booming, and rightly in their own unprecedented ways. There are no cookie-cutter solutions as each city is unique in its strengths and challenges. Hence solutions need to be tailored and contextual. And in order to arrive at that, city managers, activists and planners need to look for creative and innovative ways to involve, engage and entice multiple stakeholders, in particular those that dominate urban development, to understand that developing human-centric places that build communities can be profitable. In fact, it is precisely what savvy urban consumers are now demanding.

Research paper thumbnail of REIMAGINE HISTORY - CONNECTING PEOPLE AND PLACE IN SE ASIA Steekelenburg, Widodo & Brooke

The City at Eye Level Asia , 2021

People and place are inseparable; a two-in-one. A place without people is dead, and people make s... more People and place are inseparable; a two-in-one. A place without people is
dead, and people make spaces into places through their attachment. There are many ways for people to be attached to a place — from a mere glimpse, or a brief visit, to inhabitation. The longer one stays in a place, the more intense the interaction with the local community, and slowly attachments to the place form and grow into love. This process requires time; there are no quick fixes. The intangible traditions and tangible forms carry the memory and the identity of a place. It is the ‘DNA’ of the place that needs to be preserved and nurtured amidst inevitable changes along the historical timeline. The management of permanence and change is the essence of heritage conservation. The built environment reveals layers of the unique history of a city and its inhabitants. Placemakers value the soul of a city, and love to bring back life that may have gone missing over time. Old buildings and places have stories to tell, and placemaking has the power to reinvigorate that in new ways. Often historic parts of a city have unique and existing human-scale qualities that tend to get obscured by the longing for modernity in development. How to care for our heritage while moving ahead?

Research paper thumbnail of The reform of Shanghai's housing system: a comparative perspective

Http Hub Hku Hk Bib B42577299, 2003

Research paper thumbnail of The reform of Shanghai's housing system

Research paper thumbnail of Urban Housing in Mainland China: A New Chapter

Review of Urban and Regional Development Studies, 1999

This paper sets out a modest agenda. It briefly reviews the Mainland's urban housing initiatives ... more This paper sets out a modest agenda. It briefly reviews the Mainland's urban housing initiatives to date. It then questions whether these form part of a coherent and comprehensive housing strategy. While focusing on issues rather than data; it ends by stressing that planning without adequate facts is problematic. In sum, the spotlight is on questions that need yet to be answered; rather than the more ambitious task of prescribing a precise blueprint for simultaneously resolving all the issues at hand.

Research paper thumbnail of Urban Housing in Mainland China: A New Chapter

Review of Urban and Regional Development Studies, 1999

This paper sets out a modest agenda. It briefly reviews the Mainland's urban housing initiatives ... more This paper sets out a modest agenda. It briefly reviews the Mainland's urban housing initiatives to date. It then questions whether these form part of a coherent and comprehensive housing strategy. While focusing on issues rather than data; it ends by stressing that planning without adequate facts is problematic. In sum, the spotlight is on questions that need yet to be answered; rather than the more ambitious task of prescribing a precise blueprint for simultaneously resolving all the issues at hand.