Skyscrapers
The book “Evil Paradises: Dreamworlds of Neoliberalism” answers a simple question that editors Davis and Monk ask in their introductory paragraph, “Towards what kind of future are we being led by savage, fanatical capitalism?” “Evil Paradises”, according to the book’s introduction are places for the rich to do almost anything they want. Places like these normally include membership fees, or waits, to keep out the people the rich see as inferior. Luxury high-rises, glamor zones and skyscrapers look beautiful and give off a type of grandeur that is meant to impress those that look upon them, so that we don’t see the darker side of things. It’s the exclusionary aspect of such exclusivity that the author regard as “evil”.
One of the things that most surprised me about the book is the chapter “Delirious Beijing: Euphoria and Despair in the Olympic Metropolis”, by Anne-Marie Broudehoux, which covers the urban restructuring of Beijing in preparation for the Olympics. One section in particular stood out most to me, “The Price of Olympic Fame.” Most of the time people only think about the Olympic games and all the excitement of the world coming together to compete against each other. We don’t tend to know the full story about how all the grand structures for the Olympics are built for the world to see. The country doesn't want to put on a bad show for the world, rather it wants to put their best foot forward. In Beijing those grand sites, we see, as Broudehoux put stunningly, are “built on the ashes of their old neighborhoods.” The grand sites won't be accessible to the general public but instead are meant for the elites. The cost of the Olympics, however, are placed on those of the lower class. Thus, the people that come to see the grand parades during the Olympics and look at in awe and get to enjoy, are unaware of the “evil” actions that take place to create such actions.
Evil paradises and skyscrapers seem to be everywhere in Tokyo. As mentioned in Jason Singer’s “Office towers in Tokyo turn into a Bunanza”, a new supply of skyscrapers replaced old buildings that were be taken down (2003). Places like the Andaz Hotel are built with grandeur, containing roof top bars and many other amenities for its guests. The new high rises are all located near the Ginza shopping district, along with Tokyo’s cultural attractions and central financial area. On top of that, skyscrapers cover the Tokyo skyline. As Tokyo’s technology increases, the towers only become even grander and taller than past office buildings, Singer tells us. Projects like the Roppongi Hills consist of more than 200 shops and restaurants, cinemas, a dining club, a museum, a hotel, and 800 apartments, according to Singer. The grandeur in Tokyo’s project of Roppongi Hills alone cost almost Y500 billion or $4.15 billion in U.S. currency.
According to Davis and Monk in “Evil Paradises”, the “dreamworlds of neoliberalism,” is the ideology of a free market world, where everything is privatized and there is little public space. The evil paradises are exactly the type of places that fit best for dreamworlds, as they consists of privatized buildings in which there are normally strict rules in placed by the owners, such as not being able to do something as simple as to take a picture within the building.
Ichiko Fuyuno’s article “Tokyo's condominium Revolution” covers the topic of skyscrapers as it talks about the building of high-rise luxury condos. The article mentions that land prices have been falling, leading to the increase of valuable sites becoming available for residential use. These towering buildings contain tons of additions such as gardens, party rooms, along with tons of other luxuries that people who could afford them would want. These towering buildings are created to show off a type of prestige as they tower over the people below. It is mentioned that the 314 residential condos in the Aoyama Park Tower cost upwards of $650,000 for 75 square metres, and as more of these buildings are created and bought the price will only keep increasing.
In Louise do Rosario’s article “Homes Still Out of Reach: Many Salarymen Can't Afford an Apartment” she covers the issues that plague the average office worker. Much of the housing close to the city is priced high. This leaves living in the city to be something that only those in the elite upper class can afford in Tokyo. The prestige of living in a condo in Tokyo an hour way from work by train cost 28% of their annual income.
Overall the dreamworlds in Tokyo and the global cities are orderly and seem to be frozen in one point in time Where the slums are more chaotic and are constantly changing as time goes on due to it having to adapt as people change it to fit their personal needs at the time.
