Conference Presentations by Lucas Elsner
The paper analyzes the development of the spatial distribution of hubs in groupage networks in Be... more The paper analyzes the development of the spatial distribution of hubs in groupage networks in Berlin and the surrounding municipalities of Brandenburg in the last two decades and the reasons behind. From 1994 to 2014 the average distance of locations of groupage networks to the respective barycenter increased by 34 percent. While the number of locations closer than 10 kilometers to the city center of Berlin decreased significantly, the number of locations further than 10 kilometers from the city center but closer than 30 kilometers increased. Main reasons for the relocation of the analyzed logistics hubs were lack of large areas of industrial land in Berlin and the quest for good infrastructure connections to motorways and federal Highways.
Recently, there have been intense debates about the theoretical bases of commodity chain analysis... more Recently, there have been intense debates about the theoretical bases of commodity chain analysis. In these debates, conceptualizations of space and the embedment of commodity chains in broader institutional and political environments have been key issues (Brown et al. 2010, Bair/Werner 2011, Selwyn 2014). Several contributions have also pointed to the potential of (re)integrating Marxist thinking into the analyses (e.g. Werner 2016, Starosta 2010). Taking these as a starting point, we will explore the value of Neil Smith's "Uneven Development" (1984) for analyses of commodity chains. His work allows for examining relationships between built environment, the position of places within production networks, and uneven spatial development on various scales. It offers concepts for the explanation of single phenomena within the wider process of the production of space and contextualizes spatial patterns (re)produced by commodity chains in the extended political economy of uneven spatial development. We will discuss this approach on the basis of the globally integrated forestry industry in Northern Finland. This industry has since its establishment strongly shaped the region's built environment and infrastructure. However, during the 20th century, it has undergone massive restructuring, and technological and organizational changes along with internationalization have also transformed its spatial patterns. In our analysis of this development, we aim to link Smith's ideas on the uneven production of space to the constitution of commodity chains. Thereby, we will develop an understanding of commodity chains as a set of relationships mediating and linking different dimensions and processes of the production of space.
In the 1980s hardcore punk in Southern California emerged as a scene “created by upper middle-cla... more In the 1980s hardcore punk in Southern California emerged as a scene “created by upper middle-class suburban kids”, as a member of the LA band Redd Kross once put it. Various authors stress that the development of this scene is strongly connected to the specifics of the alienated suburban everyday life Californian teenagers experienced in the Reagan era. This paper offers an interpretation of the participation in and identification with a specific subcultural scene against the backdrop of the writings of Henri Lefebvre on everyday life.
We discuss to what extent the hardcore punk scene of Southern California can be regarded as revolutionary rejection and disruption of everydayness, aimed at hegemonic middle-class lifestyles and thereby can be understood as a form of radical critique of life in capitalist suburbia. The scene, with d.i.y. as its engine, can also be understood as an attempt to create a self-determined transition to an alternative vision of adulthood. In order to shed light on this matter, we will analyze lyrics, record covers and interviews stemming from this time and context building on the concept of "structures of feeling". This allows to draw on the experiences of the young people themselves.
We argue that the application of this theoretical framework on the emergence of hardcore in suburban California offers new insights in two respects. It broadens the understanding of this specific subculture in the context of transforming suburbia during the rise of neoliberalism, but also concerns the interrelation between adolescent uprisings and specific socio spatial constellations and its implications on everyday life.
Papers by Lucas Elsner
Urban Planning
Current development and re-development of industrial areas cannot be adequately understood withou... more Current development and re-development of industrial areas cannot be adequately understood without taking into account the organisational structures and logistics of commodity production on a planetary scale. Global production networks contribute not only to the reconfiguration of urban spatial and economic structures in many places, but they also give rise to novel transnational actor constellations, thus reconfiguring planning processes. This article explores such constellations and their urban outcomes by investigating two current cases of industrial development linked with multilateral transport-infrastructure provisioning in Ethiopia and Argentina. In both cases, international partners are involved, in particular with stakeholders based in China playing significant roles. In Mekelle, Ethiopia, we focus on the establishment of a commodity hub through the implementation of new industry parks for global garment production and road and rail connections to international seaports. In...
The old town of Küstrin, a realm of memory? Development and application of a procedural approach ... more The old town of Küstrin, a realm of memory? Development and application of a procedural approach to space related remembrance using the example of the realm of memory: old town of Küstrin. Results of a research project
The old town of Küstrin was nearly completely destroyed during the hostilities in March 1945. According to the Potsdam Agreement, the former German town became Polish. In contrast to other towns, Küstrin’s old town has not been rebuilt and the ruins have been overgrown. A project conducted by students at the Institute of Urban and Regional Planning at Technical University Berlin dealt with the memories associated with Küstrin’s old town. This analysis was based on the perception that memories at such a multilayered place, as the old town of Küstrin, cannot be arranged hierarchically and that it should be possible to experience them equally. At such a site, it becomes obvious that memory is rarely uniform and free of contradictions. Against this background, a process-oriented concept of place-related remembrance was formulated and applied to the case of Küstrin’s old town. With respect to this concept, ideas for the future development of the site as a realm of memory were developed.
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Conference Presentations by Lucas Elsner
We discuss to what extent the hardcore punk scene of Southern California can be regarded as revolutionary rejection and disruption of everydayness, aimed at hegemonic middle-class lifestyles and thereby can be understood as a form of radical critique of life in capitalist suburbia. The scene, with d.i.y. as its engine, can also be understood as an attempt to create a self-determined transition to an alternative vision of adulthood. In order to shed light on this matter, we will analyze lyrics, record covers and interviews stemming from this time and context building on the concept of "structures of feeling". This allows to draw on the experiences of the young people themselves.
We argue that the application of this theoretical framework on the emergence of hardcore in suburban California offers new insights in two respects. It broadens the understanding of this specific subculture in the context of transforming suburbia during the rise of neoliberalism, but also concerns the interrelation between adolescent uprisings and specific socio spatial constellations and its implications on everyday life.
Papers by Lucas Elsner
The old town of Küstrin was nearly completely destroyed during the hostilities in March 1945. According to the Potsdam Agreement, the former German town became Polish. In contrast to other towns, Küstrin’s old town has not been rebuilt and the ruins have been overgrown. A project conducted by students at the Institute of Urban and Regional Planning at Technical University Berlin dealt with the memories associated with Küstrin’s old town. This analysis was based on the perception that memories at such a multilayered place, as the old town of Küstrin, cannot be arranged hierarchically and that it should be possible to experience them equally. At such a site, it becomes obvious that memory is rarely uniform and free of contradictions. Against this background, a process-oriented concept of place-related remembrance was formulated and applied to the case of Küstrin’s old town. With respect to this concept, ideas for the future development of the site as a realm of memory were developed.
We discuss to what extent the hardcore punk scene of Southern California can be regarded as revolutionary rejection and disruption of everydayness, aimed at hegemonic middle-class lifestyles and thereby can be understood as a form of radical critique of life in capitalist suburbia. The scene, with d.i.y. as its engine, can also be understood as an attempt to create a self-determined transition to an alternative vision of adulthood. In order to shed light on this matter, we will analyze lyrics, record covers and interviews stemming from this time and context building on the concept of "structures of feeling". This allows to draw on the experiences of the young people themselves.
We argue that the application of this theoretical framework on the emergence of hardcore in suburban California offers new insights in two respects. It broadens the understanding of this specific subculture in the context of transforming suburbia during the rise of neoliberalism, but also concerns the interrelation between adolescent uprisings and specific socio spatial constellations and its implications on everyday life.
The old town of Küstrin was nearly completely destroyed during the hostilities in March 1945. According to the Potsdam Agreement, the former German town became Polish. In contrast to other towns, Küstrin’s old town has not been rebuilt and the ruins have been overgrown. A project conducted by students at the Institute of Urban and Regional Planning at Technical University Berlin dealt with the memories associated with Küstrin’s old town. This analysis was based on the perception that memories at such a multilayered place, as the old town of Küstrin, cannot be arranged hierarchically and that it should be possible to experience them equally. At such a site, it becomes obvious that memory is rarely uniform and free of contradictions. Against this background, a process-oriented concept of place-related remembrance was formulated and applied to the case of Küstrin’s old town. With respect to this concept, ideas for the future development of the site as a realm of memory were developed.