This thesis explores the nexus between 'urban expressionism' and the potentiality of 'Asian urbanism(s)' by exploring ways that different planning paradigms have been located/dislocated in the case of New Songdo City, South Korea. By investigating four expressions of New Songdo City - as an 'Eco-City', a 'Smart City', an 'International City', and as the 'City of the Future' - this thesis argues that urban expressionism can make important contributions to the aims of Asian urbanism(s). Ultimately, this research demonstrates the ways that urban expressionism can be used to destabilize hegemonic Western-centric urban knowledge and city-building practices, and further point to new geographies of theory from which important contributions to urban research can be made. Urban expressions are made evident by various entwined urban rhetorics and worlding practices that operationalize multiple mediums of communication. Consequently, New Songdo City is, first and foremost, a city of simultaneity. To investigate this simultaneity, this research utilizes an exploratory case study approach and multiple qualitative methods that include semi-structured interviewing, focus groups, and surveys to gather insights from residents of Songdo, local experts, public and private sector actors, and other key stakeholder groups. Visual analysis is also used to explore mixed-mediums of data, including promotional videos, images, exhibition displays, magazines, and advertisements. The methods used to undertake this thesis provide a glimpse in to the development of New Songdo City and capture different urban expressions that are articulated by the city through various examples of urban rhetoric and worlding practices. The urban expressions presented in the New Songdo City case are analysed through the lens of Asian urbanism(s) and investigate the ways that hegemonic Western and Euro-centric conceptualizations of 'the urban' and 'the city' have been deployed, articulated, experienced, challenged, and complicated. By extension, this thesis also contributes to a more nuanced conceptualization of Asian urbanism(s) as well as the relevance of New Songdo City for urban theory in South Korean, Asian, and more generalizable contexts.

Refusant l’image trop souvent négative de certaines composantes de la ville, l’on est convaincu de trouver des solutions pour la ville nouvelle de Tamansourte. Cette recherche montre qu’il est possible de gérer la ville autrement, à l’aide d’outils appropriés en proposant de nouvelles réformes.S’appuyant sur des éléments de référence, c’est-à-dire des récits d’acteurs de l’acte d’aménager, cette recherche propose des pistes de réflexion relatives à la construction d’un nouveau projet de transformation sociale pour une nouvelle politique de la ville. La solution pour une ville comme Marrakech réside certainement dans un compromis entre plusieurs formes urbaines, compromis qui doit tenir compte des spécificités historiques, morphologiques et culturelles de la cité, servant de fondement à une éventuelle politique de la ville. Pour la ville nouvelle de Tamansourte, le constat négatif est facile à démontrer, car à travers la visite des lieux, plusieurs phénomènes montrent la faible fréquentation de la cité doublée d’une animation commerciale timide. Une étude de "requalification urbaine" est à mettre en place d’urgence pour permettre à cette ville nouvelle une dynamisation des activités commerciales et des échanges fructueux entre les différents acteurs de la cité qui fonderont demain la vitalité de cette nouvelle ville. / Refusing the image most oftenly negative of certain parts of urban agglemerations, we are convinced to have found viable solutions for the new town of Tamansourte. This research shows that it is possible to do town planing in a whole new way, by proposing new reforms.Based on references such as feedback and narratives from the actors of the urban layout, this research proposes directions for reflection concerning the construction of a new social transformation project for a new town planning policy. The solution for a city like Marrakesh most certainly resides in a compromise between several urban forms, taking into account historical, morphological and cultural specificites and serving eventually as a basis for city policies. As far the new town of Tamansourte is concerned, the balance sheet is in the negative, easily understandable by a simple visit of the premises where several obvious factors demonstrate the scarcity of the population toghether with a feeble commercial activity. An « urban re-qualification » study is to be done urgently for this new town to be commercially, economically dynamised and permitting fruitful exchanges between all the actors of the township-thus founding a new era of vitality for this new town.