Project Description
Urban infrastructure, from housing to energy and water provision and transport systems, underpins livelihoods in contemporary cities and regions. These relationships can encompass enormous territories, extending urbanization into new dimensions and altering the material, political, and social dimensions of space. This project brings together global dimensions of this research into extended urbanization with ongoing empirical research into urbanization processes in the Alpenrheintal (Alpine Rhein Valley) of Central Europe and the Gauteng City-Region of South Africa. It draws on this previous research conducted at the University of Liechtenstein in concert with methods from the social sciences to examine the way urbanization
“stretches” between established urban centralities and geographical peripheries, attempting to determine the form and impact of ongoing urban transformations in two case study areas. Within this, we
will specifically work with comparative methods from urban and political science to focus on the production of housing, transport systems, and people experience of everyday life in selected areas within the cases. Juxtaposing these regions also contributes to cuttingedge theory in urban studies, and brings together
scholars from many regions around the world to reflect upon the problems of contemporary urbanization. The project results in a co-authored edited volume book publication, along with popular media
dissemination tactics for a broad audience, to bring the local concerns of Liechtenstein and Switzerland into conversation with global dialogues.
Relevance to Liechtenstein
We expect that our comparative and multi-scalar approach will provide important insights into the range of impacts of urbanisation on Liechtenstein. We also expect to learn how urban development policies affect people's everyday lives, for example, spatial patterns of commuting and work-housing relationships. We believe that this will have not only theoretical but also very practical implications, which we will try to formulate in the form of policy recommendations for Liechtenstein as part of the highly urbanised Alpine Rhine Valley.
The project also directly touches on the thematic focus areas of the University of Liechtenstein, in particular sustainability, responsibility and society. In particular, mobility will be analysed as a central aspect of sustainability. The transformation of the built environment and housing practices is linked to the university's focus on sustainability. Responsibility for this environment and these practices is also of great importance, as is the social relevance of our findings for individuals and for governance strategies in the context of urban development.
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Scientific, Economic and Societal Impact
The project is innovative because it aims to make a comparison between two highly urbanised areas that are not often brought into conversation with each other in order to evaluate theories and concepts through empirical research in each of the two areas. In this way, we aim to understand the broader interface between urban development and society: What forces are at work on the periphery, where are there moments of transformation or change, and what implications could this potentially have for urbanisation at different scales, from neighbourhoods to regions.
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