In “Asian Ghosts and Cities”, Katarzyna Ancuta argued that the due to the loneliness of modern urban life, creating an environment that have a haunted norm. He also considered the specifics of different Asian cities and cultures, for example, Korea and Japan, theirs ghost films often reflect the urban isolation. In contrast, ghost stories are created by the dense living environments and rapid modernization in places such as Hong Kong, which leave no room for the dead, forcing ghosts to enter urban living spaces.
In the urban space, architecture has been influenced by neoliberal urbanism. So it is no longer just used as a shelter to live in or for urban decoration, but rather considering as a financial transaction. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the example of Seoul as a neoliberal city fits this shift. Seoul’s focus on urban redevelopment for economic gain with the expense of existing communities. In addition, this reflects the broader global trend of “administrative urbicide”. It also shows the destruction of the social fabric of cities, which makes economic values surplus the human values.
To sum up, Ankuta’s article enables readers to question the direction of our urban development and its true cost to social well-being. At the same time, he also considers the weighty relationship between culture and socioeconomics. This article not only enhances the understanding of the impact of architecture, but also calls for reflection on the gains and losses as we move into the future.
Xu Yihan UID: 3036102218
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