School of Creative
Industries
Josephine Choi Hio Ian
Josephine comes from a design background, studying contemporary jewellery design in the UK before pursuing a postgraduate degree in Arts and Cultural Leadership at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore. She seeks to broaden her professional skills by exploring cultural and artistic fields.
Work
Research interests
Cultural urban studies, urban governance, cultural heritage
Thesis abstract
Governance systems in cultural urban regeneration: A case study in Macau
This thesis investigates the governance systems in culture-led urban regeneration, specifically how various actors involved in the governance process might lead to efficient outcomes. The paper uses the city of Macau, a post-colonial special administrative region (SAR) in China, as a case study to understand the power dynamics between the government and local entities involved in the projects and social networks that are created through the urban regeneration process.
The integration of culture and urban regeneration is a popular discursive approach to urban issues in the global context. Organising cultural events and festivals, and utilising historical and cultural resources to boost tourism are some of the standard measures implemented in Chinese cities. Systems of urban governance on culture-led urban regeneration are crucial to effective urban regeneration because collaborations among actors trying to implement urban regeneration may lead to more productive and mutually beneficial outcomes.
The thesis reviews governance models in the global context and the corporatist system between civic associations and the local government in Macau. The study reflects the notion of governance decentralisation and evaluates the different levels of public and non-public intervention in decision-making and implementation. The study discovers that two contrasting governance systems coexist in Macau by comparing two districts as case studies: St Lazarus neighbourhood and Taipa Village. Each approach draws on a complex network of civil society, private and public sectors and contributes to either economic or cultural development objectives on urban regeneration agendas.
By analysing the contrasting governance systems and their implications for effective culture-led urban regeneration in the two districts, this study emphasises the need for overarching indicators and devolution of governance for effective urban regeneration. The research findings offer valuable insights into the complexity of urban governance frameworks in China, suggesting new avenues for a more nuanced explorations of the role and place of culture in urban regeneration in Asia.