The Grand Projet - Undertsanding the Making of Urban Megaprojects

Urban Megaprojects – here referred to as Grands Projets – are increasing in number all over the world. They have become major drivers for urban intensification and oftentimes set out to take a city’s expansion to the next level. As such, Grands Projets can be read as manifestations of the larger economic and political agenda of their city and they offer a productive moment to investigate current urban trends in a globally connected form of concentrated urbanization. The book looks into the adaptive and inclusive capacities that urban megaprojects can offer. It provides a new and for the first time comprehensive reading of selected urban megaprojects in Asia and Europe, and a comparative view of key moments regarding their role in contemporary urban development.

Eight case studies: Marunouchi Tokyo, Lujiazui Shanghai, West Kowloon Hong Kong, Marina Bay Singapore, HafenCity Hamburg, La Défense Paris, 22@ Barcelona and King’s Cross London