Mimicry in design: the urban form of development

This paper investigates the diffusion of Western-like built environments in rapidly urbanizing regions. It draws from Marshall Berman’s seminal treatise on modernity, which uses Goethe’s Faust as a metaphor. In the Chinese context, Berman’s analogy understands Faust as the consumer who craves the Western city. A further structural approach is suggested, in which Faust is also the State that encourages mimicry by pursuing fast development and creating artificial market dynamics. The Faustian metaphor thus explains the spread of simulacrascapes, which limits local inventiveness, participation and expertise. The conclusions of this paper recommend an endogenous approach to the design of urban form.