Perspectives on a Globalizing World – A journey from an urbanizing China to an urbanized Europe

It’s been an interesting journey so far. After an enthusiastic and stressful campaigning effort for the Kagan Fellowship People’s Choice Award, it’s now time to really dive into the research. As I begin this journey, I would like to share my thought process, as well as the progress I have made so far.

THE PROJECT: PERSPECTIVES ON A GLOBALIZING WORLD
Cities are among the most enduring and remarkable of all human activities. They are built to withstand time and city planners are constantly trying to adapt to changing needs. In a globalizing world, where everything is connected and interrelated, how are our cities preserving their history and reputation? How do planners, city officials and inhabitants build great places that have a lasting impact?

On Saturday, 26 July 2014, I will depart by car with my travel partner, Rogier, on a 3 month journey from China, where urbanization is seen as the key to economic success. My quest will take me along the ancient Silk Road, tracing the steps of Marco Polo, to an urbanized Europe that is struggling with its own position in a globalizing world. At the end of my expedition, I will summarize the results of my trip in a book. I call this journey “Brand New China” to show the world a China that is innovative, cool, funny and ambitious.

GAME PLAN FOR THE UPCOMING MONTHS:
I have selected 8 cities to visit during this tour to provide a well-rounded perspective on being a competitive city in a globalizing world. In these cities, I will interview professionals that take me to a location that, in their opinion, is a strong illustration of a key driver for this city.

• WUHAN (China), CBD-Investments – 27 July 2014
• DUNHUANG (China), Tourism – 12 August 2014
• ALMATY (Kazakhstan), Infrastructure Development and Oil – 28 August 2014
• SAMARKAND (Uzbekistan), Manufacturing – 6 September 2014
• TEHRAN (Iran), Population Growth – 24 September 2014
• ISTANBUL (Turkey) Ecology and Water – 6 October 2014
• ATHENS (Greece) Air Quality and Public Transportation – 11 October 2014
• FLORENCE (Italy) Walkability and Urban Form – 20 October 2014
* This list of landmarks is subject to change. Key drivers for each city have not been finalized.

EXCITEMENT AND CHALLENGES
I am very excited to travel to each of these cities. In particular, I’m looking forward to the hours on the road, slowly seeing the environment morph as I move through each region. Cities, people, cultures, food, and the environment – everything will change along the way. It’s going to be an exciting, but tough challenge! As part of our efforts, we’ll travel using products from only Chinese brands: a Chinese car, phone, laptop, camera, etc. to help prove our theory that China is no longer home to cheaply-manufactured products.

A big goal for the upcoming month is to find people with an ‘interesting’ story in each of the cities. The people that I talk to will help shape my book. The bigger challenge lies in finding the right person in the right place who has an opinion and is willing to share their thoughts with a complete stranger.

NEXT STEPS
Until my departure on July 26th, I need to reach out to the interview candidates and schedule appointments. I also need to gather as much information as possible about the cities on my list and its most impactful landmarks. Needless to say, there’s a lot to do before I leave.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Do you know someone in the any of the cities on my list? Introductions are welcome! Preferably, I’m looking for people who work in the field of urban planning, design, environment, infrastructure development or heritage preservation. Also, ideas and suggestions on the research and interview questions are more than welcome.

FOLLOW ME:
Stay up to date on my journey through RTKL’s You Are Here blog and sign up to our website: www.brandnewchina.net to follow the stories, photos and videos that me and my travel companion, Rogier, will share during the journey. Stay tuned!

Maren needs your help! Know someone living in one of these 8 countries? Have any advice as he starts his journey? Drop us a line here and let us know.

Connectivity is the subject of The 2014 Leonard S. Kagan Fellowship for Research and Exploration—a big topic kept purposefully loose to encourage broad thinking about the power of great ideas to bring people together. This year’s winning entries showed clarity of vision and tackle various aspects of connectivity—digital, social and physical, respectively—and all reflect an appreciation for the power of connections to give us new insights and greater control over the impact of our work. In the next few months, follow You Are Here to see the progress of these teams as they attempt to better connect RTKL to systems and information.