Chimera Reading Salon．New Urban Perspectives | Cities and Verticality

Introduction

“Chimera Reading Salon．New Urban Perspectives” continues the spirit of The Chimera Group, a transdisciplinary arts society founded in the 1950s by Wang Da-Hong, who often invited artists for cultural gatherings at his home. This event began with “architecture” and gradually expanded to performing arts, art, literature, photography, and review, recreating the free and open transdisciplinary communication at Wang’s home. With “city” at its core, the first series invites Professor Chih-Hung Wang from the Graduate Institute of Building and Planning at National Taiwan University, and a special guest, to explore new perspectives on urban space and culture through six of his translated books on the subject. The fourth lecture, "Cities and Verticality," will be based on the book Vertical: The City from Satellites to Bunkers, which will lead participants to an in-depth discussion through an introductory reading by Wang and a sharing by special guest Dr. Yu-Ting Kao.

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‍Vertical: The City from Satellites to Bunkers
When we get used to seeing the world flat, what do we miss and miss?

Urban geographer Stephen Graham of Newcastle University guides readers from the highest vantage points, descending step by step along the vertical axis and delving beneath the earth’s surface. From objects hovering above cities and the atmosphere, to skyscrapers, shantytowns, and elevated structures within the urban fabric, he then descends into underground tunnels, shelters, and sewers,analyzing the human rights, justice, and social issues concealed within each layer of the vertical stratification of space.

Despite technological advances, from paper maps to Google Maps, cartography persists in adopting a bird’s-eye perspective, rendered with flat color blocks and lines. This tradition perpetuates a legacy of mapping that served European navigation, colonialism, and imperialism. For centuries, this approach has unconsciously narrowed and flattened our imagination of the world’'s geography. Yet modern technology has brought a profusion of new tools—satellites, aircraft, drones—all increasingly intertwined with daily life. Simultaneously, advancing construction methods have made us inseparable from elevators, skyscrapers, skywalks, underground tunnels, and sewers within our cities. Human urban existence has grown ever more “multi-layered.”

Yet in our increasingly populous global cities, what aerial colonization, vertical dominance, and towering “spatial injustices” are quietly brewing beneath our feet? And what social implications arise from our relentless excavation into the earth’s depths—creating cellars, sewers, shelters, and even mines? Drawing on twenty-five years of interdisciplinary academic training and his expertise in science and technology studies, urban planning, and geography, Professor Stephen Graham delves into these phenomena through this book.

Beyond challenging conventional urban perspectives, this work enriches readers’ understanding with added layers and depth. The author reminds us to remain vigilant about the intricate interplay between power, technology, politics, and vertical stratification in cities. Crucially, it underscores the enduring importance of humanistic concern and critical thinking in today’s global urban development.