Transmodern Urban Cartographies: A Speculative Inquiry

Abstract

This study aims to critically examine the impacts and reflections of transmodern
approaches in the field of urban design and planning through a speculative approach. By
discussing the inadequacies of modernism’s rational and universalist planning paradigm
and postmodernism’s fragmented, contextual, and critical approach in addressing
contemporary ecological, social, and cultural crises, the study addresses transmodernism
within a conceptual framework. The research adopts a qualitative methodology based on
a literature review and theoretically examines the transmodern approach in relation to
design and planning tools, governance and power structures, and ethical principles such
as social justice, equality, inclusivity, and ecological sensitivity. Concepts that influence
urban design within the framework of transmodernity are explored through speculative
representations. The analysis suggests at a conceptual level that while the transmodern
approach proposes a more holistic and ethically grounded framework, it remains open to
critique due to conceptual ambiguities, limited engagement with institutional structures,
critiques related to power relations, and difficulties in translating theory into practice.