ABSTRACT

For nearly as long as there have been urban centres, exceptional architecture projects have contributed to transforming city form and city fortunes. In this special issue of ‘European Planning Studies’, we focus on star architecture and its ability to contribute to urban transformation, with articles on the phenomenon of star architecture from a range of disciplines. Star architecture is a topic where concerns about place, identity, economy, innovation and communication intersect. In this introduction to the special issue, we overview how star architecture participates in urban transformations, and address how research into star architecture connects to ideas of identity and branding, the media, the economy, urban governance and architecture itself. We also overview methodologies for studying star architecture and urban transformation: the choice of research methods and research approach affects the problematization and the types of research questions that can be answered. Studying star architecture offers insight into disparate fields including network analysis, media studies, geography, planning, cultural economy, identity, branding and spectacle. By looking beyond economic effects, researchers can expand the audience for studies of star architecture, and more fully understand its role in urban transformation.

摘要

几乎只要有城市中心，卓越的建筑项目就为改变城市形态和城市命运做出了贡献。在本期“欧洲规划研究”特刊中，我们重点关注明星建筑及其对城市转型的贡献，并发表了关于明星建筑现象的文章。明星建筑是一个关注地点、身份、经济、创新和交流的话题。在本期特刊的介绍中，我们概述了明星建筑如何参与城市转型，并讨论了明星建筑的研究如何与身份和品牌、媒体、经济、城市治理和建筑本身的思想联系起来。我们还概述了研究明星建筑和城市转型的方法：研究方法和研究方法的选择影响问题化和可以回答的研究问题的类型。学习明星建筑可以洞察不同的领域，包括网络分析、媒体研究、地理、规划、文化经济、身份、品牌和景观。通过超越经济效应，研究人员可以扩大明星建筑研究的受众，更全面地了解其在城市转型中的作用。