Things to do thinks to do things to do. Here is the plan of attack for draft 2:
- Rewrite my introduction. I’m having trouble deciding how to start. With a description of Masdar City? With an overview of utopian urbanism? Something about sustainability as an unquestionable Good? I feel like this sets the tone and focus for the whole paper, so I’ve got to get it right. I know for sure that I need to define new-build eco-cities more clearly.
- Beef up my review of the literature on utopianism. I’ve added Frederic Jameson to the mix, as well as a few of Bloch’s ideas. But it still feels like it’s missing something… I’m planning to dig into Lefebvre a bit more deeply over spring break, so perhaps that will help.
- Refine the section on the history of utopian urbanism. Be more critical of modernist & progressive planning impulse—draw on Christine Boyer. At least make mention of Ebenezer Howard’s Garden Cities. Introduce global cities more explicitly—draw on Saskia Sassen. Expand section on degenerate utopianism.
- Integrate Aihwa Ong’s concept of neoliberalism as exception into my background section on Abu Dhabi, as a way to explain how spaces of (green) free market capitalism exist within a broader “rentier state.”
- Expand case study of Masdar, particularly the renewable energy projects (one comment of feedback I got was, “how can Masdar even make claims to sustainability?”). Tie my analysis more explicitly to the history of utopian planning I provide in section three.
- Finish discussion of postpolitics—tie back into sustainability. I want to explore the idea of eco-cities like Masdar City being not just as manifestations of the postpolitical condition, but as spaces in which it is being actively produced.
- Conclude!
This is quite a lot of work. But I’m making progress and it is helpful to see it all listed out this way. Hopefully very shortly I will be able to check most if not all of these tasks off my list!