The Locally Oriented Global City: From Iconic to Anti-Iconic Architecture

What does a global city look like? The desire to become a global city prompted many cities to undertake mega-projects that would increase their symbolic capital, such as the tallest or the largest buildings and cultural institutions bearing the prestigious names of world-renowned architects. However, although the allure of iconic buildings has not completely diminished, recently a new paradigm for the material reality of the global city emerged: the anti-iconic. The anti-iconic development, even when expensive and large-scale, advocates human scale projects that retain heritage and encourage embodied social interaction while shying away from flamboyant “global” architectural style with little connection to local communities. It appears paradoxical, then, that construction projects to help build a global city highlight preservation and augmentation of local particularities. I argue that the interpretation of the global city has taken a turn to local so that the picture of the contemporary global city consists of vibrant local communities and a robust and unique urban identity. To illustrate this empirically, I analyze the discourses underpinning Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon and Toronto’s Distillery District projects, based on policy reports, official statements and interviews. In the former, the Seoul Metropolitan Government removed an inner-city overpass to uncover and restore the historic Cheonggyecheon Stream; in the latter, Cityscape Holdings, a private real estate development company repurposed abandoned distillery buildings into an arts and entertainment area. Both projects were completed in the early 2000s, when Seoul and Toronto engaged in active campaigns to establish their reputation in the global stage, and were believed to contribute to consolidating the global city status. Yet neither involves a new conspicuous building. I conclude the paper with a discussion on theorizing the global city as a cultural concept with fluid meanings, which contextualizes and underpins discourses of urban development and globalization.