FROM EXACERBATED DIFFERENCE

TO PRODUCTIVE DIFFERENCE
Phoebe Zhang | Fall 2011| Syracuse University
Primary_Anne Munly | Secondary_Susan Henderson
TABLE OF CONTENTS
list o businesses
the smell of the culinary spaces
Interviews in the village (video snap shots)
Summary: Customized Response
Attributes of the urban village
temporality
location/ organization/ structure/ material
parasitic relationship & the dissolve of boundary
Covent Garden comparison (organization, structure)
vibrancy
Spilling over -- mapping of private activities
Infltration
non-differentiatedfow
converted spaces
connection to the city
serial sections
3Dmodelonnon-differentiatedfow
mobility
catalogue of mobile devices
on tricycles
subversion
duality
Crisis
UVs to be demolished & Shenzhens scope of demolition
Caiwuweiin2005vsCaiwuweiin2011
Site
circulation
OperaHouse&Kingkey100
Response
missing programs
operation
Precedents
Bibliography
Contention
Conceptual Framework
On Mega-block/ On Urban Village
Intro to the Region
Guangdong Province-PRD
The Mega-City
PRD
infrastructure plan
urbanized landscape
Exacerbated Difference
Shenzhen
google map + panorama picture
size & population density distribution comparison
Exacerbated Difference & Shenzhens linear development
Caiwuwei Intro
location-tootherCBDs/in-betweenideologies
pictorialwalk-through
programdiagrams(entertainment-offces-residential)
Chronology -Reform, Shenzhen, Caiwuwei, Deng Xiaoping
Typologies
mega-blocks
Danweiblocks
urban Village - Urban Village generic block
summary:3-Dstratifcation&theChineseDream
On Boundary
enclosed space
gated Communities
historicalsignifcanceofgates
caiwuweissituation
enclosed green space
enclosed vs the outside
intensityoffow
Urban Village as the adhesion
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32
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52
55
56
90
94
103
106
108
2
15 years ago, Rem Koolhaas led a research project into Chinas most frontier economic zone the Pearl
River Delta (PRD), in which he gave the region a new defnition, City of Exacerbated Diference, meaning
that every city in this region defnes itself through brutal opposition of the others, but at same time forming
a holistic system. He said,
It is a region whose urbanism emphasizes the greatest possible difference between its parts, whose
infrastructure both enables and prevents a functioning whole, whose fabric is neither urban nor ru-
ral(Koolhass 1996)
From a region-scale of the PRD to a block-scale in the city of Shenzhen (PRDs showcase city), the Exac-
erbated Diference manifests itself through a series of contested relations between the urban villages and
the mega-blocks surveilled but subversive; gated and monumental versus mobile, temporal and vibrant.
The mega-blocks are surveilled under state control for better security and cleaner city image but the vil-
lages are subversive in the practice of informal vending by the people. The mega-blocks are gated to foster
certain sociability of selected groups, but the villages are free to fow through. The mobile informal vending
assemblage is temporal as it gathers and disappears at diferent hours of the day. The villages are vibrant
in the conditions of infltration and spilling-over between public-making and private activities. The mega-
blocks and the villages are mutually inclusive, both preventing and enabling the open fow of trafc, com-
mercial exchange and social encounters.
I contend that the urban villages are a customized response to what the mega-block urbanism cannot of-
fer. In the crisis of demolition, these unique attributes that urban villages ofer need to be re-conceptualized
into the necessities if the mega-block urbanism, creating an urban system between the two that is coher-
ent and spontaneous. a translation from Exacerbated Diference to Productive Diference.
CONTENTION
re-conceptualize
coherent, spontaneous
response
parasitic
Exacerbated Difference
region
layered exploitation
between HK, SZ &DG
city
tabula rasa vs hierachi-
cal grid vs garden city
block
mega-block vs
urban village
Infrastructure vs Informal Activities
over-power
over-power
response
parasitic
Mega-block Urban Village
effect on flow
surveilled
monumental
subversive
mobile
temporal
vibrant
System of Difference
surrounding development and policy changes 1
need for affordable housing 2
3
Top-Down Bottom-Up
vulnerabilities
(upgrade)
to be demolished
informal vending to be cleaned up
limited in what offers
120 km
Crisis Response
the missing ephemeral qualities
4 rejection of physical boundaries
Mega-block Urban Village
Infrastructure Informal Activities
Top-Down Bottom-Up
27 km
1.5 km
indicates a cross reference elsewhere in the book
3 ConceptualFramework
pg. 6-11
pg. 12-19
pg. 20-27
pg. 28-52
pg. 56-89
pg. 90-102
pg. 103-105
4
On Mega-block
Shenzhens capitalistic endeavors have led to increasing privatization of urban fabric -- the building of walled,
fenced and gated mega-blocks. Each mega-block is a singularly designed object with minimum regard for cir-
culatory ramifcations or urban linkages to the surroundings. They sometimes form suburban bubbles within the
downtown, sometimes stark high rise at the fringe. Their shear scale makes them urban elements, and the sum
of them come to defne the city. Urban design is reduced to the sum of architecture.
The gated communities together with the glittering shopping malls make up a public realm that is highly exclu-
sive, surveilled and discontinuous. Their spatial exclusion offers a secure environment to foster a certain socia-
bility of an exclusive group of people. But at same time, it contributes to a process of gentrifcation and social
segregation. In addition, their sky-scraping height in close juxtaposition to the adjacent low-rise buildings cre-
ates a 3-D stratifcation effect.
5
With a speed of urbanization unseen in human history, urban substance gobbled up farmlands and submerged
the rural villages. Without moving an inch, farmers found their homes in the center of a densely populated me-
tropolis. The villages become isolated islands in the sea of mega-block architecture. They become urban vil-
lages, the left-overs of Chinas rapid urbanization.
Chinas over-heating economy has caused a soaring price of the real estate -- home ownership become in-
creasing un-affordable with a median housing price-income ratio of 16 (6.5 in the US). The urban villages, built
by individual farmers, flled the blank for affordable housing. They are Chinas contemporary political condition.
The villages are often rented by a foating population of migrant workers seeking their fortune in this brand-new
city. They brought with them the taste of their hometowns into the villages, composing a mixing-and-matching
culture and identity for the enclaves.
The villages are primarily residential but they also foster the growth of informal urbanities - shops, markets and
street vending. The public making and private activities are highly mingled with conditions of infltration and
spilling-over. They are vibrant, temporal and dualistic. They are the sites that enable the open fow of traffc,
commercial exchange and social encounters.
The villages are constantly being built and re-built in response to the surrounding developments and policy
changes. Caiwuwei villages frst construction wave took place after the government granted the right for land
use transfer in 1987 and the subsequent demolition-and-rebuilt took place simultaneously when the govern-
ment launched the Caiwuwei CBD re-development blueprint in 2001.
The urban villages are a customized response to what the mega-block urbanism cannot offer, they grow side
by side with the mega-block development, responding to various needs and external forces.
On Urban Village
Shenzhen
Dongguan
Guangzhou
Foshan
Jiangmen
Zhongshan
Zhuhai
Macau
HongKong
Location (China - Guangdong Province - Pearl River Delta)
Guangdongprovince,whichtheregionislocatedin,hasa
GDPover4trillionyuan(US$519.4billion)in2011,roughly
the same size as that of Indonesias, and contributing approxi-
mately12%ofChinasnationaleconomicoutput.
PEARL RIVER DELTAthisiswhereKoolhaas
ledhisHarvardProjectontheCity,whereheisbuildingtheShenzhen
StockExchange,whereZahabuiltGuangzhouOperaHouse,StevenHoll
builttheHorizontalSkyscraper(whichthelengthexceedstheheightofthe
Empire State Building), and Information Based Architecture built Guang-
zhouTVtower(tallestTVtowerbeforeTokyoSkyTree).ThisisChinas
mostfrontiereconomiczone.
-ComparingChineseProvinceswithCountries:AlltheParitiesin
China|TheEconomist.The Economist
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dong Rural and Urban Planning Institute and a senior consultant on the
project.Pollutionwillalsobeaddressedwithaunitedpolicy,priceof
petrolandelectricitywouldbeunifed,andphonebillswillfallby85%
percent.
HealsoaddedItwillnotbelikeGreaterLondonorGreaterTokyobe-
causethereisnoonecityattheheartofthismegalopolis.(Ifoundthis
notionreallyintriguingasitispushingthedefnitionofMega-Citynot
single cored like Beijing, neither dual-cored like London, the Pearl River
Deltawillhavemultiplecoresandpatches.)
7
InJanuaryearlierthisyear,TheTelegraphreportedChinasnewambitious
plan to create theworldslargestmega-citywith42millionpeople(halfof
Germanysentirepopulation),whichthesizewouldrank34thlargestcountry
intheworld.
AtChinasmostfrontiereconomiczonethePearlRiverDelta,9citieswould
bemergedintoone,includingGuangzhou,Shenzhen,Dongguan,Zhuhai,
Zhongshan,Jiangmen,ZhaoqingandHuizhou.ThisTurnthePearlRiver
DeltaIntoOneschemewillcreatea16,000sqmileurbanareathatis26
timeslargerthanGreaterLondon.
150majorinfrastructureprojectswillbebuiltinthenextsixyears,including
energy,water,telecommunications,transportnetworks,29raillines(over
3,100miles),decreasingcommutetimesbetweenthecities.Theideaisthat
whenthecitiesareintegrated,theresidentscantravelaroundfreelyanduse
thehealthcareandotherfacilitiesinthedifferentareas.Itwillhelpspreadin-
dustryandjobsmoreevenlyacrosstheregionandpublicserviceswillalsobe
distributed more fairly said Ma Xiangming, the chief planner at the Guang-
The Worlds Mega-City
The Telegraph,24Jan2011
8 Urban Density in the PRD
- Manuel Castells, The rise of the network society, Oxford, UK:
Blackwell,1996
The southern China metropolis, only
vaguelyperceivedinmostoftheworld
at this time, is likely to become the
most representative urban face of the
twenty-frstcentury.
Shenzhen
Huiyang
Huizhou
Dongguan
Guangzhou
Foshan
Jiangmen
Zhongshan
Zhuhai
Zhaoqing
Macau
Hong Kong
Highway
Rail
Deep ports
Shallow ports
Expressway
Roads
9 PRD Infrastructure Map, jonomaps,2006
1979 1990 2000 2006
10
Rem Koolhaas diagram of City of Exacerbated
difference.
Speed of urbanization in the PRD
Rem Koolhaas Great Leap Forward,Taschen,2001
11
15yearsago,RemKoolhaasledaresearchproject
into Chinas most frontier economic zone the Pearl
RiverDelta(PRD),inwhichhegavetheregionanew
defnition,CityofExacerbatedDifference,meaning
thateverycityinthisregiondefnesitselfthrougha
brutal opposition of the others, but at same time form-
ingaholisticsystem.Hesaid
It is a region whose urbanism emphasizes the
greatest possible difference between its parts, whose
infrastructure both enables and prevents a functioning
whole, whose fabric is neither urban nor rural (Kool-
hass1996)
Letsfrstlookatthecitiesontheeastsideoftheriver
HongKong,ShenzhenandDongguan.Shenzhen
haseverythingyouhateaboutHongKong,crowded-
ness,lackofgreen,highlivingandworkingexpense.
At the same time, Shenzhen offers everything Hong
Konghasbutcheaper,whileDongguanoffersevery-
thingShenzhenhasbutevencheaper.Shenzhenan-
ticipatesthefourishingcapitalismofHongKongbut
offersbiggerspaceforlowerprice.Shenzhenhosts
major electronic manufacturers like Foxconn (iPads,
iPhones),Huawei(biggest3Gcardmaker),Skyworth,
Konka,ZTEetc.Dongguan,referredbyKoolhaasasa
bastard city, hosts all sorts of second industries, at a
muchcheaperpricethanShenzhen.Shenzhenisonly
therebecauseHongKongisacrosstheriver,while
DongguanexploitsthepresenceofShenzhen.The
cities live off one anothers imperfection, exacerbating
degreesofdifferenceswithinthesameparadigm.
Each city in the Pearl River Delta defnes itself not as
a counterpart but through a kind of brutal opposition,
each with the same desire to oppose all the others.
So the west side tends to reject the ruined, overde-
veloped east side, which is vilifed as the Wild East, an
overdose of speculation: the west side, it was said,
would take matters more slowly and carefully.(Kool-
haas,1996)
Guangzhouisthetipendofthisurbanring.Thecapital
of province, the most historical, most cultured city of
thePRD.Guangzhouhasthequalitywhichnoneof
theotherPRDcitieshavepoliticalpower,historyand
culture.
During his research, Koolhaas predicted that the 6
citiesoperatewithinonesingleorganismtheylive
offoneanothersimperfections,withaparadoxthat
theslightestmodifcationofanydetailsrequiresthe
readjustmentofthewholetoreasserttheequilibrium
ofcomplementaryextremes.IfKoolhaashypothesis
isright,whatwillhappenwhenthecitiesmergeinto
one?Willtheunifcationofenergy,water,telecommu-
nicationandtransportnetworkstripofftheirsurviving
differences?
Dongguanhasdemonstratedagrowinginterestin
attracting technology business, does it threaten Shen-
zhen as the capital of high-tech products?
ShenzhenwasawardedasDesignCapitalbyGlobal
CreativeCityUNESCONetworklastyear.Whatdoes
this mean to the other cities in PRD?
City of Exacerbated Difference
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SHENZHEN
Shenzhen
Dongguan
Guangzhou
Foshan
Jiangmen
Zhongshan
Zhuhai
Macau
HongKong
12
Shenzhen stretches along the entire border to Hong Kong. Ideologically, Shenzhen is Chinas window to Hong Kong, then to the world; Shenzhen is a
bufer from communist China to capitalist Hong Kong; The Special Economic Zone is a transition to the Special Administration Zone (Hong Kong).
On August 26h, 1980, Shenzhen, a fshing village of 30,000 people, was inaugurated to be one of frst four Special Economic Zones by Chinas
paramount leader of reform, Deng Xiaoping. The zones are designated as territories for accelerated economic development and the testing ground
for policy changes before they could be rolled out on a national scale. Within two years, Shenzhens population grew to 800,000, the area of the zone
grew from 3 km
2
to 60, foundations were poured for 300 skyscrapers. In 30 years time, Shenzhen grew into a metropolis of 412 km
2
with a popula-
tion of 3.79 million. (administration- 2020 km
2
&12million)
50.000 - 200,000
10,000 - 49,999
5,000 - 9,999
1,000 - 4,999
0 - 999

10,357,938
8,175,133
Beijing
(7,400)
NewYorkCity
(10,356)
Shenzhen
(5,201)
London
(4,863)
Los Angeles
(2,940)
=500people
sizecomparison&populationdensitydistributioncomparisonbetweenShenzhenandNewYork
Population Density
/km
2
, wikipedia
ShennanAve.
1
2
3
Exacerbated Difference in Shenzhen and its linear development
urbanizedareainShenzhenfrom1985to2010

1985
Luohu
Futian
OCT
Qianhai
2010
Urban URB, Shenzhen Urban Ideas,2011
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garden city hierachical grid tabula rasa
3 2 1
15
ItisnotfromGarniersutopianvisionthatShenzhenshouldbebuiltintoalinearcity.ShenzhengrewalongthebordertoHongKong,connectingseveral
portsandstretchingtheentirelengthfromLuohuontheeastsidetoShekouonthewestside.Thefrst15yearsofdevelopmentinShenzhenwasthe
buildingofLuohuarea,thenthecityexpandedwest,builtFutianCBDandtheciviccenter,andnotlongago,anewplanwaslaunchedtorelaimlandat
thebayonthewestendofQIanhai,whichwilleventuallyturnintothefutureCBDonwater.
Thechronologicaldevelopmentfromeasttowestoffersplannersanopportunitytorefectfromtheoldandtobuildsomethingnew.Thewestisalways
abravenewworld.ThemapontherightisLuhuoCBD,showingadegreeofdisorderness.Nocleargrid,roadswithdeadends,andthreemetrolines
intersectingaroundasmallregion.TheshoppingareaaroundLaojieStationalmostgreworganicallymajorshoppingspacesgrewalongthemajor
streetsbutthereisnoclearconnectionbetweenthem.
RefectinguponthedisorderednessofLuohu,FutianCBDhasacleargriddedstructurewiththeciviccenteratthegeographicalcenter(middlemap).
Twometrolinesrunningeastandwestandtwolinesrunningnorthandsouth.HowevertheciviccenterofShenzhenisaenormousemptyplaza,barely
usedbyanybody.Underneaththeplazathereisanundergroundparkingspace,butbarelyanyoneknowsitsexistence.
IfFutianrepresentsa1960sutopiawithitsuniversalgridandenormousinfrastructure,OCT,anareawestofFutian,isexactlytheanti-thesisofFutian.
OCTisagardencity.Fromthemapontheleft,youcanseetheabundantgreenspaceandwindingstreets.Sidewalks,bikelanesandvehiclelanes,
eachlaneisseparatedwithastripoftreesin-between.Andeachstripisofadifferentspecies,frompalmtrees,mangotreestobanyantrees.Thetrees
aresotallthatsometimesIfeellikeIwaswalkinginaforest.ThevillasofDongfanggarden,seeingfrommybedroomwindowonthe21stfoor(picture
nextpage),areliterallysituatedwithinaforest,somethingsoraretoseeinChina,somethingbelongsmoretoarural/suburbialandscape.
Itisalandscapeneitherurbannorrural...
my apartment
Itisalandscapeneitherurbannorrural...
viewfrommyapartment
alandscapeneithermonolithicnorinformal...
viewofCaiwuweiCBD
alandscapeneithermonolithicnorinformal...
viewofCaiwuweiCBD
Hong Kong

Shennan Road
Futian CBD
Luohu CBD
Futian Port
Luohu Port
Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD Future Qianhai CBD
Caiwuwei Area
Luohu CBD Luohu CBD Luohu CBD Luohu CBD
CAIWUWEIlocation,in-betweenthetabularasaandthehierachicalgrid
Urbanus URB, Shenzhen Urban Ideas,2011
in-betweenLuohustabularasaandFutianshierachicalgrid21
pg.18
pg.19
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1
2
3
4
5
6
6
6
6
7
8 9
1 Lychee Park
2 DengXiaopingPortraitSquare
OffceTowers
The Mix Mall
Shenzhen Opera House 3
4
5
CaiwuweiUrbanVillage 6
Mega-block housing 7
Danweihousing 8
Middle school 9
COMMERCIAL
RESIDENTIAL
CIVIC
1 Lychee Park 2 DengXiaopingPortraitSquare
Shenzhen Opera House 3
OffceTowers 4 The Mix Mall 5 CaiwuweiUrbanVillage 6
Mega-block housing 7 Middle school 9 Danweihousing 8
means to let
Kingkey100Toweruponcompletionin
summer2011
6 current
Inside Mix Mall
Entertainment & Education
residential
middle class residential
mixed-use residential
education/healthcare
cultural/entertainment
offces
greenery 25 Entertainment& Education
Offices
26 Offces
residential
Residential 27
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Xiongguzu Ltd. (HK)
Zhangguoyan
design consultent TFP
ARUP
Deng Xiaoping
Portrait Square
Bank of China
China Merchants
Bank
Shenzhen
Development bank
Shenzhen Kingkey Real Estate
Shenzhen Huashen Design
Huarun Group
China Urban Design Research Institute Shenzhen Office
open door
policy
caiwuwei villagers
collectively transfer
their lands for
development
establishment
of SEZs
law of Transfer
of land-use
rights
Tiananmen
Square incident
land use reform
OCT theme
parks
land value
increment tax
HongKongs
hand-over
legal protection of
private properties
first Shenzhen
masterplan
Deng toured
the PRD
Dengs 2nd
toured to PRD
Deng re-appointed
Party chairman
Dengs death
Deng retired but
power remained
second Shenzhen
masterplan
third Shenzhen
masterplan
Chronology diagram
At the Third Plentum of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CCP in December, Deng Xiaoping, the vice-chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),
introducestheOpenDoorPolicy,acomprehensiveprogramtomodernizethe(socialist)Chineseeconomyrelativetothe(capitalist)globalmarket.Thepolicy
callsforincreasedcontactstoforeigntradeandinvestment,thedecentralizationofeconomicdecision-makingtoallowgreaterresponsetomarketforces,and
graduallegalizationandtransferoflandtopromoteeconomicdevelopment.DengstatesthatChinaneedstoexpanditscontactswithforeigncountries.In
Guangdong,thismeansopeningitsdoorstoHongKong.Beforetheendoftheconference,ChinaannouncescorporateagreementswithBoeingandCoca-
Cola.
OnJanuary1,ChinaandtheUnitedStatesannouncetheopeningoffulldiplomaticrelations.DengXiaopingvisitedtheUnitedStatesonJanuary28th.The
beautifulimperialist.imagesofDenggreetedbycheeringcrowdsinWashington,D.C.,arebeamedbacktoChina.
TheOpenDoorPolicyisinauguratedinChinabytheestablishmentoffourSpecialEconomicZones(SEZ)inGuangdongProvince:Shenzhen,Zhuhai,Shantou
andXiamen.Thezonesaredesignatedasterritoriesforacceleratedeconomicdevelopmentandthecontrolledimportationofforeigntechnologyandcapital.
Manypolicyexperimenttakesplaceinthezonebeforetheycouldbeimplantedonanationalscale.TheSEZsofferskilled,non-unionizedlabor,preferentialtax
rates,andotherfnancialincentives.TheSEZsarestrategicallylocatednearanticipatedsourceofforeigncapital:InthePearlRiverDelta,Shenzhenborders
HongKongandZhuaibordersMacau;meanwhile,ShantouandXiamenlieacrossthechanneltoTaiwan.
FirstmasterplanoftheShenzhenSpecialEconomicZonedrafted,bytheGuangdongPlanningInstitute.Intwoyears,thecityspopulationgrowsfrom30,000
to300,000andfnally,800,000.Theareaofthezoneisadjustedfrom3squarekilometersto10,thento60.Foundationsarepouredfor300skyscrapers.
InJanuary,DengtoursGuangdongProvinceasagestureofsupportforthefedgingSpecialEconomicZones.Thevisitprovidesahugeboosttothedevelop-
mentoftheSEZs:thevolumeofbuildingconstructioninShenzhennearlydoublesoverthefollowingyear.ThePearlRiverDeltaisnamedoneofthreedevel-
opmenttrianglestargetedforexpandedeconomicdevelopment.Theywillactasflterforscienceandtechnology,helpingChinatodiscardthedrossand
selecttheessentials.
FoundationpouredforShenzhenOperaHouse.CompletionofGuomangPlaza,thefrstskyscraperinChina,thefrstsymbolofShenzhensdevelopment.
SecondmasterplanoftheShenzhenSpecialEconomicZone,bytheChinaAcademyofPlanninginBeijing.ThesizeoftheSEZisdoubledto122square
kilometers,andthepopulationhasreachedover1million.
Thebuildingofthreethemeparks(SplendidChina,FolkCultureVillageandWindowoftheWorld)inOverseaChineseTown.Allthreethemeparkedwerefn-
ishedwithinadecadewithafourthone-HappyValley.ThethemeparksbecomeametaphorofShenzhensidentity-ChinaswindowtotheWorld.
Land-usereformisinitiatedinGuangdongprovincetoderegulatepropertydevelopmentwithintheconfnesofthesocialistpropertysystem.Underthereforms,
thestateretainsownershipofland,buttherighttouselandistransferredorleasedtodevelopersthroughnegotiation,tenderingorauction.Itrespondstothe
anticipatedtensionbuiltupbetweeninvestor/developersandthegovernmentandtriggeredanewwaveofdevelopment.Thusurbanlandisownedbythe
state,butleasedandcontrolledbythePlanningBureau;agriculturallandisownedcollectivelybytheirresidents,enablingpeasantstojointogetherandsell
land-userightstodevelopers,turningmanyintomillionairesovernight.Thegovernmentcanstillexpropriateordemandrightstousecollectivelyownedland,
butmustreasonablycompensatepeasants.
CaiwuweivillagercollectivelytransferredtheirlanduserightfortheconstructionofCaiwuweiGrandHotel.
Dengformallyretiresfromallgovernmentpositions,butremainstheparamountleaderoftheCCP.
TheCCPissuestheLawofTransferofLand-UseRightsinShenzhen,furtheringthesplitbetweenownershipandlanduse.Withinthesystemofcollective
1978
1979
1980
1982
1984
1985
1986
1987
1989
Chronology-Reform,PearlRiverDelta,Shenzhen,Caiwuwei&DengXiaoping
ownership,thelawallocatestheland-userightforonehectareoflandtoeachhousehold,promptingaburstofspeculativereal-estatedevelopment.withprox-
imitytotheSpecialEconomicZonesasitsprimeasset,thevalueoffarmlandinthePearlRiverDeltaimmediatelyskyrockets.
ThePearlRiverDeltaachievesa27percentannualgrowthrate,becomingtheGoldenCoastofChina.TheareaofSpecialEconomicZoneinShenzhenis
expandedto150squarekilometers,withapopulationapproached1.5million.
TiananmenSquareincident,whichDengordersthecrack-downoftheprotestresultingdeathofhundreds.Chinareceivestheworldscondemnation,consid-
erableamountofforeigninvestmentwithdrew,andforeignloantoChinawassuspendedbytheWorldBank.
DengssecondtourofthePearlRiverDelta-anefforttocurtailfreemarketreformandreinstituteadministrativeeconomiccontrols.Hisvisitreaffrmstheim-
portanceandstatusoftheSEZsinrealizingthegoalsoftheOpenDoorPolicy.Thevisitsparksarenewedsurgeindevelopmentthroughouttheregion.
CaiwuweiPlaza,LijingPlaza,BatongPlaza,ShenzhenDevelopmentBankbrakegroundsimultaneously.
CaiwuweivillagersfoundCaiwuweiLtd.fordealingwithfuturecollectivelandusetransfer.Allvillagerstakeshare.
Introductionoflandvalueincrementtax.Underthenewlegislationpartiesandindividualsinvolvedintransactionofland-userightsgainsanetproftofmore
than20%,effectivelyencouragingthetransferofland-userightsandpromptingeconomicdevelopment.
Constructionstartsontheworldslargestbookstore--ShenzhenBookCity.
CompletionofDiwangPlaza,Aisastallestbuildingatthetime.
ThirdmasterplanoftheShenzhenSpecialEconomicZone,bytheShenzhenInstituteofUrbanPlanning,inauguratedwithsixnewareasofdevelopmentspi-
ralingoutoftheoriginalterritory.
HongKongishandedoverbacktoChina,administratedautonomouslyasasSpecialAdministrativeZone.HongKongshandingoverfurtherfacilitatesits
connections to Shenzhen, Guangdong and Chinas hinterland, but at same time casted an identity crisis for Shenzhen of loosing its privilege as the Special
EconomicZone.
ShenzhenSEZhasbecomeametropolisof2,020squarekilometersand3.79millionpeople.
DengxiaopingsdeathismournedacrossChina,especiallyinShenzhen.HeisconsideredtheChiefArchitectofChinasModernization.
Caiwuweivillagerebuiltto6-7stories.
PlanningofCaiwuweiCBDre-design.
TheMixMallopened.
Citizensarefnallyawardedthesamelegalprotectionoftheirpropertyasthestate.realestatepriceincreasedby10%.
ConstructionbeginsonShenzhenStockExchange,designedbyOMA.
2011Shenzhenhoststhe26thWorldsUniversityGames.
1992
1993
1995
1996
1997
2001
2002
2004
2007
2011
YuyangLiu,Great Leap Forward,Taschen,2001
Urban URB, Caiwuwei Redevelopment Urban Design,2011
reworkedfrom:
30
Caiwuwei village is a response
to surrounding development and
policy changes.
The Mega-blocks
Mega-blocks 32
7
7
The mega-blocks are singularly designed
objectswithminimumregardforcircula-
toryramifcationsorurbanlinkages,form-
ingsuburbanbubbleswiththedowntown
,andstarkhighriseatthecityfringe.
Their shear scale makes them urban
elements, and the sum of them come to
defnethecity, to form the master-plan of
thecity.Urbandesignisreducedtothe
sumofarchitecture.
-- Neville Mars, The Chinese Dream,
Rotterdam010Publishers,2008
Danwei Blocks
Danweimeansworkunit,Danwei
blocks refer to a building typology devel-
oped during Chinas communist era -- bar
shapebuildingswithunevenfacadeto
maximizeventilation,ithasbeenwell-
integrated into Chinas contemporary
buildingtraditions. Danweiblocks
8
33
8
Urban Village
As the city gobbles up farmlands, the
villages found themselves submerged in
theseaofurbansubstance.The villages
becomeisolatedislandswithinthecity,
whilethemega-blockstakeovertoform
the fabric of the city.
Chinashukousystemspecifestheurban
landisownedbythestatewhiletherural
landisownedcollectivelybythefarmers.
Thegovernmentdoesnothaveaowner-
shippowerovertheselands,whichisthe
mainreasonswhythesevillageswerenot
developedinthesamewayastherest
ofthecity.However,thegovernmentcan
demand to use the land for development
if a proper compensation is offered to
thevillagers.Thedashedcircleindicates
thedemolishedvillage,whichnowhosts
Shenzhens tallest skyscraper -- Kingkey
100.
Urban Villages
demolished village
34
6
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Urban Village generic block
sitearea:42875m
2
construction:174,900m
2
FAR:2.67
buildingdensity:53.1%
14m
19m
13m
-mostlybuiltin2001inresponsetopolicychange
-6-7storieswith verylowfoortoceilingheight
-mostrentedbymigrantworkers,abedroomcanbesharedupto4people
-groundfoorforcommercialuse
3
0
0
0
2
8
0
0
2
8
0
0
2
8
0
0
2
8
0
0
2
8
0
0
2
8
0
0
7000 14000 3500
pg.52-54 on who lives in the village
35
6
Mega-blocks,danweibuildingsandurbanvillagesoftenformabewilder-
ingjuxtapositionofdilapidation,wealthdensity,andcommunisthistory.
Withsuchcontexts,newexpensivemulti-storycompoundsdisserver
themselvesfromthenearbylowerbuildingsbyheightandaccessways,
leading to a 3-D stratifcation efect
-- Neville Mars, The Chinese Dream,Rotterdam010Publishers,2008
The Chinese Dreams preface article A Society Under Construction by Nev-
ille Mars best outlined the dominant values bubbled to top of the Chinese
societysincethe1980s.ComparabletoanAmericandream,theChinese
dreamisalsolargelybundledwithhomeownership.Forayoungcouple
withonechild,thedreamcouldbeasmalltwo-bedroomcondominium
inacity.Themega-blocksinagatedcommunityarethesymbolofanew
shinnydream.Architecture becomes the dream to be purchased after
yearsofsavingandsquattinginrentalhomes.
Onalargersocietallevel,thevisionistobeurbanized.Constructionat-
tractsworkforceintocities,realestategeneratesconsiderablerevenue
andgovernmentsreceivefscaltaxation;urbandevelopmentspushthe
landownershippoliciestochangeandevolve,whichconsequentially
relatingtopropertyrightdisputesandunrestacrossthecountry;cultur-
allypushingtheconsensusofindividualrightsandprivacy.Urbanization
isattheheartofChinasreformandstillistheengineofChinasgrowing
economy.Everyaspectofchange,whetherculturally,environmentallyor
socially,allinonewayoranother,relatedtothechangesinChinasbuilt
environment.
Howeverthepressuretopurchaseapropertyisanincreasingburdenon
theyounggeneration.Theaveragehousingpriceacrossthecountryrose
upbyover30%infouryearsfrom2002to2006.Lastyear(2010)the
averagehousingpriceis8856yuan/sm,and15892yuan/sqminthetop
10cities.Itmeansforacollegegraduateearning50,000yuaninChina,to
buyacondominiumof970squareftand800,000yuanwouldtakehim16
years(ifhedoesnteat,payrentsortax),whiletheUScomparativemodel
isabout6.25years.
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ON BOUNDARY
Enclosed Space
39 Enclosed Spaces
Enclosure Context
40 Enclosed Spaces Context
gated communities
Are you a
anyone here?
Are you a
41
Thewalls,fencesandgatesaroundeachresi-
dential compounds are intended for better public
security and prevention of petty crime.Generally,
the richer the property is, the tighter the security
is.Forexample,LinkedHybridinBeijinghasan
excessivelevelofsecurity.Itiscompletelywalled
offfromadjacentstreetsandproperties.Thereare
twomajorgatesandasidegateleadingdirectly
totheundergroundparkinglevel.Allgatesare
guardedandequippedwithcard-swipingsys-
tem.Thereare24-hoursecuritypatronandCCTV
camerasinstalledinthepublicareasaswellasin
theelevators.Onmyfrstvisitthere,Iwasstopped
threetimeswithin50metersofwalk,bythegate
security,patronsecurityandblocksecurity.They
stop any un-familiar face until a proper reason for
visitingispresented.InDaxingarea,Beijing,itwas
reported that crime dropped by 73 percent from
ApriltoJulythisyearaftertheauthoritywalledoff
someresidentialvillages.
Generally, the urban villages are on the loose end
of security due to the fact that are mostly occu-
piedbyafoatingpopulationoflowerincome.In
thepictureweseehalfofacar-stoppingbarrier,
onlythecardswipingmachinebutnotthebarrier
bar.Inthelowerimage,thereisasecuritypavilion
buttheguardisabsent.
From a deeper ideological aspect, the gated com-
munities are a carry-over of Chinas communist
mentalityfromthe1960s.Eachdanwei(work
unit)shouldsupplyitsworkerswithalltheameni-
ties needed to live comfortably so that there is no
need to travel outside.Andadeeperintentionis
forthegovernmenttokeeptrackofthepeople.I
spentmyearlyyearsinadanweicommunitywhenmy
motherwasworkingforastate-ownedweavingfac-
tory.Itwasabigcommunityofover10,000peopleon
a173,000sm
2
(17.3hectare)ofland,withinthewalls,
therewasanelementaryschoolandmiddleschool,
ahospitalandaverysmallsoccerfeld.Therewas
everythingfromcradletograve.Theapartmentswere
not purchased or rented by the residents but distrib-
utedfromthefactorytoitsworkers,soallresidentsare
eitherdirectlyassociatedwiththefactory(thedanwei)
orthefamilyoftheworker.
The gated communities provide a secure environ-
ment to foster certain sociabilities of a selective group
of people,forexample,themotherswouldfeelsafe
leavingtheirchildrenplaywithinthegatesknowingall
residentsarefromherdanwei.However,asmiddle-
classcompoundsandlowerclassonesarebecoming
moreandmoredifferentiated,mega-block,freeways
and shopping malls are stratifying the urban existence
inonewaywhilederelicturbanvillagesaregoingthe
otherdirection.Thewalls,fencesandgatesbecome
a physical manifestation of social segregation and
gentrifcation.
Linked Hybrid property
-24hrpolicepatron
- CCTV cameras
-card-swipingsystem
- guards at gates and every block
42
Shuttle bus
Underground parking
Kindergarden
Playground
Supermarket
Postoffce
Laundromat
Beauty salon
Fitness center
Indoor&Outdoorswim-
ming pool
Tennis court
Basketball court
Bowlingroom
restaurant
cafe
Greenhouse
Bookstore
Pharmacy
everydanweisuppliesitsworkerswithalltheamenitiesneededtolivecomfortablysothatthereisno
need to travel outside
Thewallsofferasecureenvironmenttofostercertainsociabilityofaselectivegroupofpeople,butalso
contributestoaprocessofgentrifcationandsocialsegregation.
images by Neville Mars, The Chinese Dream,Rotterdam010Publishers,2008
Beijings Wupailou Gate is a symbol of Qianmen Avenue
History of Gates in China 43
Gates have differentiated functions in ancient
China.Toillustratethis,letustraveltohistori-
calBeijing.
Zhengyangmen, the gatehouse proper to
Beijingsinnercity.Itwasconnectedwiththe
oldcitywallthatusedtofencearoundthein-
nercity.Outsidethewallswasthemoatthat
gaveanotherlayerofprotection.Zhengyang-
men is at the center of Beijings north-south
axis,inlinewithTiananmen,HallofSupreme
Harmony,andthecitysDrumandBellTower.
Jianlou,thearcherytowerthatconnectsto
Zhengyangmen,formingadoublegate.The
courtyardin-betweenwasusedforarchery
storageandstationedmilitants.Thistower
hasthickwarsand94smallwindowsfor
shootingenemies.
Wupailou,entrancetoQianmenAvenue.Itis
a decorative monument, carry no function of
security or defense, but merely a marking of
Qianmenshoppingstreet.Itisalsoanex-
ample of Paifang,seeninChinatownsacross
theworld.
Zhengyangmen
Jianlou
Wupailou
GatesinCaiwuweiVillage-Security?Monument?
Butratherseemsincomplete.
44
Enclosed Green
45
semi-publicspacewithinthe
walls,forexample,gardenswith-
inagatedcommunity.
Enclosed Green spaces
pg.60-67 on the dissolve of boundaries

Enclosed & In-between

46
publicspaceoutsidethewalls
is very limited, mostly public
streets
Enclosed vs the Outside
Flow Lines
47 intensityoftraffcfow
Thewalled,gatedandfencedenclosures
breakdowntheurbanfabric,however,
the urban villages are seen to have more
traffcfowthatbranchesintodifferent
gatedcommunities.Inotherwords,the
urban villages serve to stitch the urban
fabrictogether.
Village Mixed-use Commercial
Caiwuweivillagesstitchthefragmentedurbanfabric 48

Adhesion to the fabric

49 fragmented urban fabric

2
1
1
3
13restaurants:5Hunan,2Sichuan,2Canton-
ese
2cafes
2ice-cream shops
2bakeries
convenient store
super market
massage
beauty salon
print shop
photo developer
photography studio
computer repair
stastionarys
Home decoration/ accessories
plumbing materials shop
somesmalloffces(retail,technologyrelated)
11restaurants: 4 Hunan, 4 Northern,
tea house
bakery
diary shop
convenient store
3 pharmacies
3fower/plantshops
message
hotel
lottery stands
investment/pledger service
motor-bike repair
offces:restaurantmanagemnt,soft-drinkbrand
retail management
7 restaurants:2Hunan,2Sichuan,2Cantonese
pharmacy
2hotels
hair salon
mobile phone store
leisure&ftnesscenter
2
3
The reasons for visiting - Informal businesses 50
The smell of the informal culinary spaces 51
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Tenants
Have been living in the village for 3 years,
movedtoShenzhen6yearsago.
Vendors
movedtoCaiwuweilastyearfromanothervillage
Vendor
sells corns in Lychee Park
Vendor, from Jiangxi
Hasbeencomingtothisspotfor16years,ob-
servedthechangesoftheareas.(Thevillages
usedtobe3-storybuildings,rebuiltin2000).
Movingbusiness,fromChongqing
HasbeeninShenzhenfor13years
Nuts vendor, Uighur (ethnical minority), from
Xinjiang
learnt Mandarin after moving to Shenzhen
Interview with Caiwuwwei village by Urbanus URB
52
Dumpling restaurant chef
Rentis1500yuanperapartment,theowner
collects50,000yuanpermonths.
Hairdressers assistant
Lifeisboringbecasueitisonlyaboutwork
and sleep
Water dilevery,
HasbeeninShenzhenfor5-6years,mether
husband here then started a family business
Waitress,
Has been in Shenzhen for almost 3 years
Lives in the comoany dormitory, a 3-bedroom
apartmentinthevillages,sharingaroomwith3
otherworkmates
Sandwichshopowner,fromHubei
JustmovedtoShenzhenafewdaysago
Pedestrian,inhis70s
MovedtoShenzheninhis50s
53
Locksmith, Hakka (ethnical minority), from
Meizhou (Guangdong)
Has been in Shenzhen for 7-8 years
Pedestrain, from Harbin (Heilongjiang)
on long holiday in Shenzhen to escape the
coldness of Harbin, hotels are too expansive
Public Inspector (Chengguan), from Hunan
hasbeeninShenzhenformorethan10years
Came to Shenzhen because everybody came
here after Chinas reform
Offceemployee,worksinDiwangbuilding
Lives in urban village because rent is too ex-
pansiveingatedresidentialcomponds.
Urban life in Lychee Park
NotlongafterDengsedict,storiesaboutthisnew
land of opportunities started to travel across the
country.Somewhereinthesouth,itwaswhispered,
therewasabrandnewcitywithplentyofjobs.A
citywithgoldcoloredhigh-riseandmovingstairs.
Soon people started talking about Shenzhen Speed
- the until then unheard pace of development - or
theShenzhenGeneration-thosewhohadtaken
advantageofthisspeedandgotrichfast...
Toddyhimselfrememberedwhenhewasalittle
boy,heheardthegrown-upstalkaboutthiscity.
There,theysaid.isaplacewhereyoucanbe-
comerich.Therestorieswerefueledbyrecruiters
whotravelledtoremotevillagestohirefarmersfor
thenewfactories.Andbymigrantswhoreturnedto
theirvillageswithbothstoriesofsuccessandtheir
trophiesofmodernity--watches,TVsets,money.
-- Neville Mars, The Chinese Dream, Rotterdam
010Publishers,2008
54
The village houses were built and re-built by individual farmers
to be rented out to migrant workers at an afordable price. In-
formal urban activities -- temporal markets and street vending
grow within these villages, ofering convenient shopping and
cheap life-style. These villages of informal become a cus-
tomized response to what the mega-blocks cannot ofer.
ATTRIBUTES OF THE URBAN VILLAGE
subversive, mobile, dualistic, temporal, vibrant & open fow
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TEMPORALITY
57
58
Location
Thetemporalmarketlocatesalongthemainstreetthroughthevillage,atwherethereismosttraffcfow.
Organization
Itisorganizedlinearlyalongthestreetandfacingthestreet.Itdivergesthetraffcfowintotwolines,oneforcommercialexchangeandoneforaccessing
theshops.
Structure
Ithasalocationbutnotanypermanentstructure.Foranaveragevendor,hehasasunshade,stallsthatmadefromcardboardboxes,woodenboards
orplastictubs.Theseinformalstructurealwaysgrabontoanedgeofaformalstructure.InthecaseofCaiwuweivillage(diagram),themarketlocates
attheedgeofthestreet,wherethestreettouchesthestepstothebuildings,leavingsomespacebothonthefrontandbehindforcirculationthroughor
intotheshops.InHubeivillage(picture),themarketgrabstotheedgeoftheboundarywallsothewallbecomesabackdropofthemarket.Inasimilar
marketnearLinkedHybrid,Beijing,themarketgathersundertheshadowsofahighway.Inallcases,themarketitselfhasnoestablishedstructurebut
utilizesanexistingpieceofinfrastructure.
Material
Thesunshades,eitherplastic,nylonorfabric,hasbeenthematerialusedrepeatedlyfortemporalmarkets,fromShenzhentoLondon,from200years
agototoday.Thesunshadestretchesoutapieceoffabricaboveheadtoshelterpeopleunderneathfromrainandstrongsunshine.Itseemsthatthe
tensileappearanceofthematerialhasbecomearecognizablefeatureofatemporalmarket.
The fresh vegetables sold on these markets 59
pg.38-49 on boundary
Market in Hubei village, Shenzhen
parasitic relationship and the dissolve of boundary 60
In Hubei Village, the vegetable market spreads against a long
blankwall;InBeijing,themorningfeemarkettakestheshad-
owsunderanelevatedhighway.Itseemsthattheinformal
businessesarealwaysparasitictoapieceofinfrastructure.
Market in Hubei village, Shenzhen
parasitic relationship and the dissolve of boundary 61
AmornigmarketunderaHighwayinBeijingsdowntownareanearLinkedHybrid
Thediagramillustratesthewalls/highwaysoriginaleffecttodi-
vide,however,asthemarketbringsmorefow,itbecomesaplace
ofconcentration.Theprocess,inaway,dissolvestheboundary.
62
AmornigmarketunderaHighwayinBeijingsdowntownareanearLinkedHybrid
63
64 ladysellingroastedsweetpotatoes
40s/ couple to be
close to their son
pineapples&chestnuts
near subway entrance
7:00am - 5:00pm
assembly table
boxes
50s/ lady with two
younger assistants
steamed dumplings
outside a gated community
6:00am - 10:00am
basic steamer
cookware
20s/ young
prefessional
hand-made crafts
outside a gated community
8:00pm - 10:00pm
DIY stalls
and shelf
20s/ young
prefessional
second-hand products
entrance to lychee park
8:00pm - 10:00pm
fabric
30s/ vender
accesories
on sidewalk along main street
7:00pm - 10:00pm
fabric, bike
40s/ farmer
vegetables
inside urban village
7:00am - 11:00am
fabric, cart
20s/ Uighur
from Xinjiang
walnuts
1:00pm - 7:00pm
tricycle with
a cart
near street intersection
40s/ Hakka from
Guangdong
locksmith
9:00am - 5:00pm
table with wheels
and drawer
along major street
50s/ female
migrant worker
roasted sweet potatoes
9:00am - 5:00pm
oven in a cart
on the side walk
50s/ farmer
corns
tricycle+cart
in lychee park
6:00am - 10:00am
50s/ from
Jiangxi
fix bikes
a luggage of
tools
near street intersection
9:00am - 6:00pm
snacks
services
groceries
morning
groceries
hobby
catogories of informal businesses 65
40s/ couple to be
close to their son
pineapples&chestnuts
near subway entrance
7:00am - 5:00pm
assembly table
boxes
50s/ lady with two
younger assistants
steamed dumplings
outside a gated community
6:00am - 10:00am
basic steamer
cookware
20s/ young
prefessional
hand-made crafts
outside a gated community
8:00pm - 10:00pm
DIY stalls
and shelf
20s/ young
prefessional
second-hand products
entrance to lychee park
8:00pm - 10:00pm
fabric
30s/ vender
accesories
on sidewalk along main street
7:00pm - 10:00pm
fabric, bike
40s/ farmer
vegetables
inside urban village
7:00am - 11:00am
fabric, cart
20s/ Uighur
from Xinjiang
walnuts
1:00pm - 7:00pm
tricycle with
a cart
near street intersection
40s/ Hakka from
Guangdong
locksmith
9:00am - 5:00pm
table with wheels
and drawer
along major street
50s/ female
migrant worker
roasted sweet potatoes
9:00am - 5:00pm
oven in a cart
on the side walk
50s/ farmer
corns
tricycle+cart
in lychee park
6:00am - 10:00am
50s/ from
Jiangxi
fix bikes
a luggage of
tools
near street intersection
9:00am - 6:00pm
snacks
services
groceries
morning
groceries
hobby
0
0
-2
2
2
4
6
8
(m) dist.
wall
time
10
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24(h)
sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades sunshades
vegetables market
lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue lunch queue
snacks stalls snacks stalls snacks stalls
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24(h)
0
-2
2
4
6
8
(m)
10
dist.
wall
time
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24(h)
0
-2
2
4
6
8
(m)
10
dist.
wall
time
informalityseffectonthewall
informality has no permanent forms but changes its shape during
the course of the day
astreetwithinformalbusinessesonbothsidesandtraffcfowsin
between
effect-thickeningthewall,theslitsindicatewhentheinformal
vendors are expelled by chengguan
66
comparative study to Covent Garden, London 67
pg.88 on Covent Gardens duality
Covent Garden temporality
There are three different commercial spaces -- mobile structure outside the
markethall,marketstallsinsidethemarketandshopswithinthebuiltcells.The
shopsandstallsarelayedoutinalternatingstripswiththemobilestructurescat-
teredaround.
Covent Garden temporality - mobile structure 69
Covent Garden temporality
Structureistheregulatingdevice.
70
Covent Garden temporality
Context.
71
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vibrancy - spill over vs infltration
Vibrancyisthecontestedrelationshipbetweenpublic-makingandprivateactivities.Itistheconditionofpublic-
makinginfltratedintoprivatestructuresandtheconditionofprivateactivitiesspilledovertothepublicspace.
Private activities occurance mapping -- Spilling over 73
Spilling over
This diagram maps the private activities
occurred in the public space according to
myobservation.Themostcommonone
isclothes-drying,foundeverywhereinthe
village, along the major street, in the side
streets, sometimes even above the en-
trancetoashop.Thelesscommonones
aretheshopassistantseating,watching
TVorreadingnewspaperintheirshops.
Thetransformedtheirworkplaceinto
theirlivingrooms.Ialsofoundakidwrit-
inghishomeworkwithapull-outtablein
asidestreet.
Most private activities occur around the
built blocks, sometimes right inside a
shop.Clothes-dryinghappensanywhere
andeverywhere,whilesomeothersare
slighted concentrated along the main
commercialstreet.
There is not much internal organization
withinthedistributionofthedots. Private activities occurance mapping 74
non-differentiatedfow
pg.47 on fow intensity
75
Infltration
In this diagram, the blue is the accessible
space,whichincludesthestreetsandthe
infltratedspace.Itshowstheinfltrated
space expands over the dimension of the
street, the street is no longer a line, but a
zonethatissometimeswidesometimes
narrow.
convertedspaceforcommercialexchange--Infltration
Alotoftheprivateblockshavebeeninfl-
tratedonthegroundfoorbycommercial
activities,especiallyalongthemainstreet.
Thebluemarkstheamountofinfltration.
Theinfltrationlooselyfollowsthetraffc
fowinandoutofthevillage,connecting
tothestreetsoutsidethevillage.
76
connection to the city 77
Context 78
serialsection_01
Aserialsectionalongthemainstreetshowsthechangesinthewidthofthestreet,degreeofinfltration
andheightdifferenceofthepublicspace.Thedegreeofinfltrationvariesfromblocktoblock,andsome
blocksaremoreelevatedthanothers.Butthestreetgetsnarrowerfromeasttowest,andtheinfltration
looselyreducesasthestreetgetsnarrower.
9900 15700 9300 16300 5700
A
A
serialsection_02
5000 9700 12000 12000
B
B
80
serialsection_03
9700 15200 9100
C
C
81
serialsection_04
12600 13000 13400
D
D
82
serialsection_05
13600 5030 13670
E
E
83
Model shots 84
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the devices that enables the commercial activities to be mobile
MOBILITY
86
IdocumentedthemobiledevicesthatIsawinthe
urbanvillage.HereIammostlyinterestedinthe
tricycles.Foranaveragevegetablevendor,hebikes
histricycletothewholesalemarketeverymorning
toloadhistricyclewithfreshvegetables.Thenhe
bikes to his spot of sale, uses boxes and boards to
unpackanddisplaythevegetablesonhistricycle.
When a street police comes, he can hop on his
tricycleandcycleawayasfastashecan.
Itisabikewithatrunkinasimpleassembly.The
wheelsmakeitmovableandthetriangularposition
makesitstable.Ithasahierachyofonefrontwheel
andtwobacks.
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SUBVERSION
InChina,lawandpolicyareofteninterpretedandpracticeddifferentlybythepeople.Therealwaysseemstobeatendencytobreachbetweenthe
wordsoflawsandpolicy.Thepolicysayseachvillager can build his house up to san jian fang (three roomsinitsliteralmeaning).Buttheyeachbuilt
3-storybuildingswithdoubleheightceilings,and convert them into lofts, so 3 stories become 6 stories.
The government tries to control informal vending along the streets because they dont pay tax, they block the roads and mostly importantly, they are
an eye sore in the eyes of the authority, they stain the imageofmodernization.FirstChengguan(lower than policepatron)wasformedinthe1990s
to expel street vending and clean the image of thecity.Thevendors,lifttheirplasticbags,hopontheirtricyclesorrunawayasfastastheycanwhen
theyseeachengguanapproaching.AftertheChengguan is gone, they come back, layout their goodslikenothingeverhappened.Theycomeandgo
ingroupssoeverybodycanwatchforoneanother.
In Chinese there is a saying roughly translated to - for every measure from the top, a countermeasure atthebottom.It is exactly this countermeasure
thatmadeuptheinformalurbanism,thatrespondstotheneedofthepeople.Thepracticeissubversiveinitsnature, coming out of an ambivalence be-
tweentheindividualandthestate,rootedfromtheancienttimeandstillispresentincontemporaryChina.Unlikethewest,whichlawistheframework
thatshadowseverybodysinteraction,inChina,lawisviewedasaninventionfromagroupofprivilegedpeople.Thesupremacyoftherituals,onthe
otherhand,formstheundertoneorderinChinesesociety.
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Inthelateimperialtime(late1800s),
therewasavegetablemarketoutside
theforbiddenwallsinBeijing(Caishikou).
Itwasfamousnotforthefruitsorveg-
etables,butfamousbecauseitwasthe
monarchysplaceofexecution.Thefelon
wouldbedraggedfromtheoneendof
the market street to the other end - the
executionground,whilepeoplethrewrot-
tenvegetableatthefelon.The everyday
marketbecameapromenadesequence
fortheeventplace.
Ichosenottoshowanydisturbingim-
ages of Caishikou, but picked up a similar
conditionatConventGardeninLondon.
The church front is the backdrop of the
stagewhilethemarketsfrontandtwo
sideformtheviewingboundary.
pg.67-71 on Covent Gardens temporality
88
DUALITY
the everyday vs the event at Covent Garden
Duality- the everyday vs the event at Covent Garden
There is another performance space
insidethemarketandunderground.This
one is dedicated to vocal and instrument
performances.Insection,theeveryday
andtheeventalternates.
89
CRISIS
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caiwuwei
Shenzhensurbanvillagere-developementinthepast5years(unit-10,000km
2
)
land demolished
Luohu Futian Nanshan Yantian Baoan Longgang Total
30
80
145
100
15
30
570
40
130
190
125
35
30
540
80
200
365
310
20
35
520
30
40
110
90
5
15
60
410
400
1030
920
10
100
860
300
300
750
670
5
75
820
890
1150
2590
2215
90
285
3370
construction demolished
re-developement construction
total re-developement
residential
offces
commercial
villages to be re-developed according to
Shenzhen Planning Bureau
over-power
Top-Down
Bottom-Up
vulnerabilities
to be demolished
informal vending to be cleaned up
limited in what offer
42.7 64.4 48.8 36.8 150.4
12.2 4.3 13.0 12.0 11.9 15.7 (m)
92
2005
2011
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42.7 64.4 48.8 36.8 150.4
12.2 4.3 13.0 12.0 11.9 15.7 (m)
93
Shenzhenhasdemolishedlandthatisequalto2.6CentralParksinthepast5years,andrebuiltitto7.6CentralParks.AccordingtothenewRe-devel-
opment Plan,Caiwuweivillagesareexpectedtodisappear.CaiwuweiSouthVillagehasalreadybeendemolishedfortheconstructionofKingkey100
tower(441m)andKKmall.Thedemolitionandre-developmentisatransformationprocessfromintimateurbanvillagescaletoenormousmega-block
scale,itisalsoagentrifcationprocessfrominformalbusinessestoglitteringshoppingmalls.
isthesignonbuildingstobedemolished.
100m SITE 2005 94
SITE 2011 95
Lijing Plz.
Shenzhen book city
Gucci flagship store
The Mix Mall
Hospital
Diwang Plz.
Shenzhen Opera House
Kingkey100 development
Police headquarter
School for television
Commerce chamber
court
pg.25-27 on program categories
96 important programs
major bus stop
subwaystop
walkablearea,250mradius
underground tunnel
97
site circulation
98
Road Layout
Shenzhensroadnetworkhasafunctional
hierarchy,frommajormotor-waystosec-
ondary streets branching off the primary
streets.ThisiswhereLuohustabularasa
touchesFutianshierarchicalgrid,where
weseespaghetti-likestreetsmergesinto
anorthogonalsystem.
Shennan Ave.
99 Shenzhen Opera House and Opera House Plaza
under utilized
empty plaza
The Grand Music
Hall in the Opera
House is 2/3 of
times empty
no ground-level
pedestrian trans-
pass but only
underground tunnels
The smaller
hall is used up
to 80%
theaters
lounge
Commercial
office +
back stage
2688m
2
1560m
2
432m
2
432m
2
100 site analysis: Shenzhen Opera House
Shenzhen Opera House situates
in the center of the Opera House
Square,whichiscurrentlyunder-uti-
lized.Ithasagrandmusichallanda
smallerhall,thebighallisempty2/3
oftheyearwhilethesmallhallhas
beenusedupto80%.
There are a lot of under-utilized
spaceswhilethereisaneedfor
smallerperformancespace.
441m
1
2
5
m
2
7
5
m
120m
from FAR 2.67 to
14, 220,000sqm
of offices hold
30,000 workers
two big luxury
shopping malls
on either side of
the street
but no informal
businesses
where do they
eat for lunch?
1755 new
condos for
6000 people
office
hotel
commercial
residential
175,000m
2
83,500m
2
110,000m
2
46,000m
2
101 siteanalysis:Kingkey100developemnt
ThenewKingkey100development
willbring30,000moreworkersand
6000residentsontothisconcen-
tratedsite.
Thereisnoinformalbusinesswithin
theproperty,buttwoluxuryshop-
ping malls on either side of the
street.
pg.24 facade of the tower
102 site analysis: Boundary
The empty plaza surrounding the opera
house is a boundary that isolates the opera
housefromtherestofthecity.Thevertical
facadesoftheKingkey100development
is its boundary that encloses the develop-
ment.
small perfor-
mance space
informal
lunch
business
music
shops
lunch time
lounge
RESPONSEmissing programs
inform
al lunch
business
860m
2
lounge
430m
2
dinning
kitchen
lounge
m
usic lounge
m
usic shops
storage
studio
dressing
room
s
services
perform
ance
space
m
usic shops
860m
2
perform
ance
space
1540m
2
backstage
offce
1340m
2
103
OPERATION 104
Themega-blocksregulatetheinformalswhilethe
informalsgivefeedbackonthemega-blocks.
The boundary is not a line that differentiates be-
tweenmega-blocksandinformalurbanities,buta
feldthatallowsforprogramexchangeandtraffc
fowbetweenthetwoelements.
Theboundaryfeldmanifeststheephemeralqual-
ities of the urban villages, it has no permanent
form but changes its shapes according to exter-
nalforces.
mega-blocks
105
the boundaries thickened to
formafeld
informal businesses are regu-
latedwithinthisfeld
thefeldallowsforprogram
exchangeandtraffcfow
Thefeldhasnopermanentform
but changes its form accordingly
|]
LANDUSE NEW AREAS
]j]q
]/
Current
industry : housing 2 : 1
Proposed
industry : housing : university 1 : 2 : 1
* Green corridors / reed beds 6.5 KM2 33%
* Industry 2.4 KM2 12%
* R&D 1.0 KM2 5%
* Housing 4.0 KM2 20%
* University 1.9 KM2 10%
* Commerce / offce 1.6 KM2 7%
* Service / leisure 1.9 KM2 10%
* Green / leisure 0.8 KM2 3%
TOD / URBAN SYSTEM
Q__
Main lightrail stattions
Subcenters
IInterlaced
Monorail* to subcenters
single ring.
* SEE REFERENCE DOCUMENTATION FOR DETAILS ON MONORAIL SYSTEMS
Q WQ
Qg@_)yQQg
Q]WQ]])__

1 KM
500 M
144 M
36 M
7
2
M
1
4
4

M
216 M
288 M
TYPE A
TYPE B
TYPE C
CBD SCALE
CBD URBAN
HIGH RISE URBAN
LOW RISE URBAN
TOWN HOUSE-HIGH-RISE SCALE
LOW RISE - VILLA SCALE
500 M

Linear grid

1 KM
500 M
144 M
36 M
7
2
M
1
4
4

M
216 M
288 M
TYPE A
TYPE B
TYPE C
CBD SCALE
CBD URBAN
HIGH RISE URBAN
LOW RISE URBAN
TOWN HOUSE-HIGH-RISE SCALE
LOW RISE - VILLA SCALE
500 M

Linear grid
PRECEDENTS 106
Guangming Smart-city, Shenzhen
By:CJLim,2007
The project arranges housing/farm-
ing suburbs into human-scale clus-
ters,witheachoneisself-suffcient
withitsownhighstreet,squares
andindividualcharacter.Thereisa
verticalforalgardensitalongside
the vertical kitchen garden farms
aroundwhichpeoplecansocial-
ize.Thereisalsoanartifcialbeach
and a canal leading into the local
riverwhereareedbedwaterfltra-
tionsystemisintroduced.Lychee
orchardsborderactsasaairflterof
thecity.
Pingding new city, Shenzhen
byNevilleMars,2010
Thebiggercircledefnesthewalk-
ableareafromeachsubwaystop.
The smaller ones are bikable one
andwalkableones.Thesmaller
onesfllintotheresidualspacesbe-
tweenthebigcirclesandalightrail
systemisdesignedtolinkthemall.
Greenspacesfllevensmallergaps.
Within each circle, there are different
levelsofprogrammixture.
The density of the linear distribu-
tion is determined to three different
scales--villascale,townhouse
scaleandCBDscale.Thestriation
maximizes the social encounters of
peoplelivingindifferenttypologies.
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11
13
13
4
4
13
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Relocation
Hospital

54
107
Qianhai CBD, Shenzhen
byUrbanusURB,2011
Towersareclusteredwithin
thewalkableradiusaround
eachmetrostation.Theyare
shaped and spaced to better
facilitate natural sunlight and
ventilation.Theblueindicates
metro lines and the orange
indicatesroadsystem.All
towerwithineachclusterare
connectedwithameta-plane
whichthemetrostopson,
sothegroundfoorisfreefor
vehicletraffc.Allamenities,
entertainment and cultural
programs are located on
meta-planelevel.
Caiwuwei village new design,
Shenzhen
byUrbanusURB2011
The village is lifted up to form
the meta-plane around the
mega-blocks.Theintimate
scale is reserved and each
villagerstillownshisplotof
land,whichhecanrentout
forcommercialuses.The
groundfoorisclearforve-
hicletraffcwhilethevillagein
the air received better ven-
tilation.Themetrostopson
meta-plane level, strength-
ening a pedestrian-use only
meta-plane.
Allen,Stan.Points Lines: Diagrams and Projects for the City.NewYork:Princeton
CantonTower. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canton_Tower>.
China.UrbanPlanning,LandandResourcesCommissionofShenzhenMunicipality.UrbanVillageRe-development.27July2011.Web.
Chung,ChuihuaJudy.,RemKoolhaas,JeffreyInaba,andSzeTsung.Leong. Project on the City. Kln:Taschen,2001.Print.
ComparingChineseProvinceswithCountries:AlltheParitiesinChina|TheEconomist. The Economist - World News, Politics, Economics, Business &
Finance. Web.<http://www.economist.com/content/all_parities_china>.
Dovey,Kim.Becoming Places: Urbanism/architecture/identity/power. London:Routledge,2010.Print.
Fu,Na,andMichaelMarsh,UrbanusURB.Shenzhen Creative Ideas Report.2011.Print.
Gao,Helen.MigrantVillagesWithinaCityIgniteDebate-NYTimes.com. The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 03Oct.
2010. Web.<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/world/asia/04beijing.html>.
Gao,Wei.HousingPriceIncreased0.41%inJune.4July2011.Web.
Koolhaas,Rem.PearlRiverDelta. Mutations. Bordeaux:Darchitecture,2001.Print.
Mars,Neville,andAdrianHornsby.The Chinese Dream: a Society under Construction. Rotterdam:010,2008.Print.
Moore,Malcolm,andPeterFoster.ChinatoCreateLargestMegaCityintheWorldwith42MillionPeople. The Telegraph [London]24Jan.2011.Web.
Shi,Jian.TheDisappearingGangxiaVillage.Weblogpost.Shi Jians Blog. 12Nov.2008.Web.
Wu,Di,UrbanusURB. Caiwuwei Redevelopment Urban Design.2011.Print.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 108
special thanks to Wu Di, Fu Na & Michael Marsh for site picture contribution