290136 VO Urban Development in Asia in a Cross-cultural Perspective (2007W)

Urban development in Asia within the cultural context of Islam, Hinduism and Confucianism. Results of different believes in historical and actual urban structures.
Object: Understanding cultural/religious differences in design, planning and development of asian urban systems in the Orient/Near East, South- and East Asia.
Islamic-oriental city: models, forms, functions; construction types. Strict spacial segregation of urban functions, of public versus private space. Basars/Suqs as financial and organisatorial centers of oriental cities. Principles of rent capitalism. Urban-rural interweaving. Modernity aspects. Indian Subcontinent: Hinduistic imprint (cosmology,caste system), islamic and colonial infiltrations. Temple towns, hinduistic-islamic syncretism. Persistence and innovation. East Asia: konfucian thinking and urban planning. Cosmology: yin and yang, feng shui-principles.Socialist city planning under Mao. Capitalist forms of planning today. Development of castle towns in Japan and actual city system. Old cities under different cultural perspectives: relics or identity makers within the Cultural Turn of Postmodernism.