Tropical Flânerie & the Creative Asian City: a perambulation of literature

What is it about?

The flâneur became a literary figure of 19th century Paris and was taken up as a theoretical figure in the early 20th century. During these periods the city was undergoing massive social, architectural and infrastructural change. Today, the notion of the flâneur is experiencing a renaissance as cities are undergoing significant restructuring towards creative industries and economies. At the same time, two distinctive aspects of the theory of the flâneur are facing critique: the theory is based on cities of the global north, such as Paris, London and New York, and thus inherently entwined with the colonial metropole; and the flâneur invokes a masculine gaze, thus the possibility of a female flâneuse remains under debate. The current century has been witness to the rapid growth of cities, including in the tropics and Asia. This literature review – in the style of a perambulation – explores flânerie with examples of tropical Asian cities.

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Why is it important?

The current century has been witness to the rapid growth of cities, including in the tropics and Asia. There has also been a move to creative industries and economies. The theory and method of the flâneur is experiencing a renaissance as cities are undergoing significant change. This literature review – in the style of a perambulation – explores flânerie with examples of tropical Asian cities.

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