This reading has deeply explored the main two area; Exorbitant city and Generic city. It was interesting that he attempted to expand on exorbitant city as he said ‘Kublai Khan possesses a vast empire but does not know its cities, hence his melancholia.’. Exorbitant city is something that cannot be taken in one scene as it is not photogenic. In other words, it is a boundless city and hence it creates own repertoire rather than following the repertoire. Then, Abbas continued to the generic cityl; he defined as a city that is independent from a history, which the city is liberal and it is not shedded under a general identity. He specifically said, ‘… is not seen as a loss but as a liberation’. The city was defined rather unique, since it escape from an obsession of ‘identity’.
Jeein Kim
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From your understanding of the “exorbitant city” and “generic city,” what is the shared premise and some similar characteristics? Can the “exorbitant city” coexist with “the generic city”? To what extent do you see this as already happening in Hong Kong or another city that you are familiar with. Generic cities can certainly be planned cities, but there are cities who have or are fast becoming generic in character.