This essay mentioned two concepts: exorbitant city and generic city. Although the two concepts seem a bit contradictory in the essay that exorbitant is very complex in its humanity and history while generic is those without the specific characteristic. However, in my opinion, I think one city can be both exorbitant and generic or transform from one to another. A city becomes generic when it is extremely exorbitant. As the author quotes: one must monotonize existence in order to get rid of monotony. When it has too complex characters, none of them will stand out and make the city to be recognizable. On the other hand, exorbitant can be used to describe an individual city, yet generic implies a comparison relationship between one and another. Different cities in the world, such as Hong Kong, Tokyo, Newyork, etc, are all trying to be exorbitant and iconic across the globe. However, as all of them are building its complexity, complexity itself becomes a generic characteristic, and therefore all become generic cities.
Lam Yu Sze
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Appreciate your thoughtful response on the coexistence of the exorbitant and generic city. Can you give examples of ways in which global cities such as HK, Tokyo and NY as you mentioned, have done and are in the process of developing that strike you as leaning towards becoming “generic cities”? How might future cities resit becoming generic?