NO-STOP CHONGQING 2.0 JING WANG Cornell University B. Arch Thesis May 2020
重慶別停
THANK YOU to my parents for unconditional love and support, as parents and professionals
my da-ge Cun Zhang for all the inspiring talks on this thesis and everything else
my advisor Leslie for always pushing me through. This being our fifth time working together and there is still more I can learn from you
my classmates for staying strong and pushing through the most special thesis during COVID-19
my advisor Marta for always providing critical comments and warm support
Xu Teng and Prof. Wei Haoyan for introducing me to the amazing city of Chongqing through a different set of eyes
my friend Xiaoyao for the mental support and teaching me to screen-print my poster
�慜
NO-STOP CHONGQING 2.0 JING WANG Bachelor of Architecture May 2020 advisor Leslie Lok
別停 Marta H. Wisniewska
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CONTENTS 06
The City The geo-culture and geopolitics of Chongqing
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No-Stop Chongqing 1.0 FA18 The first investigation of the city: the topography and infrastructure of a housing monograph
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No-Stop Chongqing 2.0 SP20 The second investigation: The displaced scale and lost access
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Bibliography and Credits
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Beijing
Tianjin
Shanghai
Chongqing
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THE CITY GEO-CULTURE
3 topographical steps From the Tibetan Plateau in the west to the Yangtze Plain, China is geographically divided into 3 topographical steps. At the same time, because of different levels of access to trade networks and resources, the average height of each step presents a pattern of a negative relationship with the level of development. 4 municipal cities With Beijing being the political center, Tianjin and Shanghai being historically important port cities, Chongqing is the youngest municipal city and the only one on the 2nd geographical step.
1st Step
Tibetan Plateau > 4000m
2nd Step
Sichuan Basin 1000 - 2000m
3rd Step
Yangtze Plain < 500m
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Jialing River
Yangtze River
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mountains & rivers Sitting between the Tibetan Plateau and Yangtze Plain, the topography of the Sichuan-Chongqing area is characterized by powerful rivers from the snow peaks running eastwards and cutting through huge mountain ranges. The peninsula formed at the confluence of Jialing River and Yangtze River has been the historical port city of Chongqing, with a history of more than 2300 years. And the waterfront has been at the center of the development of local material and spiritual culture.
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Drawing of the Three Gorges 三峡图 Wang Weibao (b.1942)
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Rainy Night on Mt. Ba 巴山夜雨 Cui Xiaodong, 2007
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Drawing of the Yu City 渝城图 1860 - 1886 12
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Chongqing Concession 重庆租界商埠图 1907
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Chongqing Street Map 重庆市街道图 1950
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A View of the City and the Jialing River Harrison Forman, 1941 Nov.14 Chongqing, China 16
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A Stilt House Being Constructed on a Cliffside Harrison Forman, 1941 Chongqing, China 18
Shantytown in Chungking Jack Wilkes, 1945 Chongqing, China
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Western ChinaEuro Tradeway
Yangtze Tradeway Western InlandOcean Tradeway
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GEOPOLITICS to develop “the great west” Since the late 90s, the main development effort was invested into the vast less-developed inland area of the 1st and 2nd topographical steps summarized as “the great west”. The primary strategy was to develop a trade network that connects the inland with the east and south shore and Euro-Russia. In 1997, Chongqing was designated as the 4th municipals to serve as a focal point for constructing the trade networks.
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Chengdu
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“INFRASTRUCTURALIZATION” road network To construct the “mountain city” of Chongqing into the center of the great west, the priority was to overcome the segregation and inconvenience of traffic. Massive financial subsidies have infused a burst of road work construction, including highways, tunnels, overpass, and bridges.
Chongqing
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Hyperreality China: Jialing Bridge Zeng Han, 2006
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Hyperreality China: Chongqing Bus Station Zeng Han, 2006
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Jialing Bridge 嘉陵大桥 1966
Yu-ao Bridge 渝澳大桥 2003
Caiyuanba Bridge 菜园坝大桥 2001
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Huanghuayuan Bridge 黄花园大桥 1999
Qiansimen Bridge 千厮门大桥 2015
Dongshuimen Bridge 东水门长江大桥 2014
Yangtze Bridge 重庆长江大桥 1999
bridge city Beginning with only two river-crossing bridges in 1980, the entire municipality has finished 38 bridges over the Yangtze River and 27 over Jialing River (with another 23 bridges under construction) by January 2018. The “mountain city” has now become the “bridge city”
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infrastructural landscape As bridges and highway pervail through the peninsula, the infrastructure has grown into an artificial topography.
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Walking on the “Low Line”—Sewage Pipe fall 2018 Chongqing, China 30
disengaged waterfront Elevated highways and monorails circulate along the contour line and encompass the peninsula. As a result, most of the waterfront become inaccessible leftover space before any design for pedestrian could happen.
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Hyperreality China: Super Girls and Workers Zeng Han, 2006
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The traffic networks have to negotiate with the preexisting city fabric. In some areas with high building density, infrastructures have to go extremely close with and even penetrate through residential programs, creating shocking proximity between public and private.
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NO-STOP CHONGQING 1.0 No-Stop Chongqing 1.0 looks at the two important layers of Chongqing contemporary cityscape: its infrastructure and its mountainous topography. Through analyzing the most omnipresent infrastructure, highways and elevated interchanges, this project explores its relationship with topography and proposes a new possibility for elderly housing. The design uses a continuous ramp as a regulating tool for spaces and programs. It asks questions for this booming â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bridge Cityâ&#x20AC;?: can infrastructure be occupiable? If so, then how? Paths ramping at a constant angle are created to circulate through the Chongqing-esque landscape. Not only do they provide the elderly with a milder way to circulate, these paths also expand and create spaces that nurture the spontaneity and connectivity within the community. 35
at h 50 uan % gu or an 30 es ° c
al
study of slopes
or
timeline of transportation development
ch 39 an % gs or ho 23 u f ° u
ni
cu
la r
height to traverse: 5m
height to traverse: 5m
est teep
s
e in
slop
g gqin chon or 8° 14%
height to traverse: 5m
0m
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8.66 m 9 m 11.8 m
35.35 m
analysis of communal programs
e slop bike 7° imum 5% or 2.8
max
e slop ° ular ehic or 3.44 6%
mv ximu
ma
m
um axim
pe n slo ° .6 stria pede 8% or 4
62.3 m
83.15 m
99.87 m
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secondary living cluster
major living cluster
tourist center kindergarten
zoning
gridding
50m
15m 23.5m
10m
0m
path-making
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50m Jiefang East St. Street-Side
23.5m Baixiangju Car Loop
15m Baixiangju Terrace
10m Huguang Huiguan Historical Complex
0m Avenue Street Side
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structural system 40
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cross sectional perspective 43
2000
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No-Stop Chongqing 1.0 proposes a scenario of elderly co-housing, in which the infrastructure becomes a continuous livingroom and playground.
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0
1600 -2000
ground floor plan 44
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NO-STOP CHONGQING 2.0 To investigate Chongqing urban development at a greater depth, No-Stop Chongqing 2.0 looks at the relationship between topography and large-scale real estate developments. Gaining greater scale and momentum starting from 1997, private real-estate development has become a paralleling force with the infrastructure construction that reshaped the contemporary Chongqing cityscape
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CITY BUSINESS POTENTIAL RANKING 2016 - 2019
Beijing Shanghai Guangzhou Shenzhen Chengdu Hangzhou Chongqing Wuhan Xiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;an Suzhou Tianjin Nanjing Changsha Zhengzhou Dongguan Qingdao Shenyang Ningbo Kunming Wuxi Foshan Hefei Dalian Fuzhou Xiamen Harbin Jinan
source: CITY BEYOND DATA 48
The real estate market of Chongqing has shown incredible potentials through its rapid but continuous growth of scale with steadily low prices. The reason behind such phenomenon was: First, the unique topography has prevented most outside developers and investors from making the local market unhealthily competitive and raising the price. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;survivedâ&#x20AC;? developers each have come up with its own strategy to deal with the landscape, targeting different niche customers. Second, the richness of natural landscape and multicenter city layout offers plentiful resources. There is sufficient supply for river view along the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers, which dilutes the rarity and monetary value of the natural view. At the same time, even though the peninsula has been the historical city, Chongqing has developed multiple city centers that were spaced out evenly. Unlike the centralized Beijing City creating a drastic hierarchy of real estate values, the layout of Chongqing presents a much more evenly distribution of resources and thus leading to a smaller price difference. Third, the government supports private development to achieve goals of urbanization. Through providing convenience in the administrative process, the government helps cut off the cost for new development projects. This strategy has been an effective way to direct urban expansion and ultimately expand economic influences.
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1997
built city area rivers inner cirle highway district borders 2007
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1970s
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2000s
As infrastructural construction and real estate development have reshaped the city, the sectional connnection between the topography and buildings is displaced.
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PEDESTRIAN 1.2 km, 17 min
CAR 1.5 km, 4 min
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The vehicleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logic has rearranged the city, and the pursuit for maximum real estate profit reshaped the topography. The consequence is a strange urban phenomenon that proximity no longer guarantees accessibility.
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PEDESTRIAN 1.5 km, 25min
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CAR 2.9 km , 6 min
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The site for intervention is a neighborhood of nine residential buildings, all roughly built in the 90s and early 2000s.
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13 min 960 m
The short cut through bridges and elevator is restricted or exclusive
to circulate through the site, non-residents would have to detour
23 min 1.5 km
ACCESSIBILITY: CIRCULATION 71
living next to the retaining wall spring 2020 Chongqing, China 72
unpleasant view towards the retaining wall and reinforcement
blocked access to the river view ideal view towards the river
ACCESSIBILITY: VIEWS 73
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to the nearest public park 17 min 1km
either inaccessible or exclusive community gardens
ACCESSIBILITY: COMMUNAL SPACE 75
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Small business and stores have emerged along the semi-private passway, but these programs can only adapt into the intimate residential scale, and customers restricted by the accessibility to these semi-private passway
ACCESSIBILITY: COMMERCIAL SERVICES 77
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private residential
private residential
CBD cars
s-scale vendor & services semi-private residential
cars
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s-scale vendor
cars cars
private residential
private residential
cars vendor and services
private residential
s-scale vendor space community
cars cars
re-introduce the original topography to re-connect the accesses
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waterfront driveway elevated highway
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the main road
monorail
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terrace topography
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retaining wall & reinforcement
terrace topography
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STRATEGY 01 a â&#x20AC;&#x153;promenadeâ&#x20AC;? to meander across the site at a constant mild angle
type 2 positive construction through cantilevering and bridging between existing buildings
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STRATEGY 02 localized shortcuts for faster circulation; forming a network with the main promenade
type 1 negative carving within existing buildings
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STRATEGY 03 carving openings for commercial programs, community space, and access to views.
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type 1 negative carving within existing buildings 90
structural system of exisitng buildings 91
type 1 negative carving within existing buildings 92
methodology for intervention 93
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type 2 cantilevering and bridging between existing buildings
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the network
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longitudinal sectional perspective 99
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cross sectional perspective
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cross section zoom-in
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THESIS STATEMENT
Since the late 1990s, urbanization of Chongqing has been facilitated by top-down infrastructural construction and private real-estate development. One pursuing speed and the other economic values, the discordance between the two forces created a cityscape that has marginalized the pedestrians. Proximity no longer guarantees accessibility. The displaced connection between topography and building scales has cut off much of the access to the landscape, the view, and the civic functions. Without necessarily negating the ambition for economic growth and the need for infrastructural networks, No-Stop Chongqing 2.0 seeks through architectural means to intervene with the current cityscape and to re-enact these lost accesses. It is an imagination of how we can better design a sectional city in a parallel reality.
FIN. (for now)
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BIBLIOGRAPHY READINGS & RESEARCH
WEI, HAOYAN Li Jiao Qiao De Zhe Xue 立交桥的哲学 (The Philosophy of the Elevated Interchange). (2015, Sept 29). ArchCollege. Retrieved from http://www.archcollege.com NOFFICE Urban China, vol. 20: Ten Years Municipality of Chongqing 城市中国：十年重庆 Beijing, China Publishing Group, 2007 BRANZI, ANDREA No-Stop City: Archizoom Associati. Orléans: HYX, 2006.
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CREDITS all images are by Jing Wang except where indicated
in page order 10
WANG, WEIBAO Drawing of the Three Gorges 三峡图 , 67.5*132.5cm. https://auction.artron.net/
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CUI, XIAODONG Rainy Night on Mt. Ba 巴山夜雨 , 2007, 44.5*33.5cm. https://auction.artron.net/
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AI, SHIYUAN (QING) Drawing of the Yu City 渝城图 , 1860 – 1886, 248.5*124cm. François-Mitterrand Library
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Chongqing Concession 重庆租界商埠图 , 1907. Kyoto University
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Chongqing Street Map 重庆市街道图 , 1950. Chongqing Guidebook Publisher
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24-25, 32
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FORMAN, HARRISON Chongqing , 1941. Harrison Forman Collection WILKES, JACK Shantytown in Chungking , 1945. Jack Wilkes Collection ZENG, HAN Hyperreality China , 2006. http://zeng-han.com/ ZHU, YE Luneng-Sky City , 2007. Urban China, vol. 20, 2007 July YAN, XIAOHANG Chongqing Panorama , 2018
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special thanks to my parents
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LI JIA & WANG JIHONG Chongqing Site Visit, 2020
for driving all the way to Chongqing and taking site photos for me, when we were separated by COVID-19
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2020. 02. 12
1st interim review turned out to be the last pin-up review in Milstein
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2020. 03.05 our livingroom
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2020. 03. 19 our livingroom studio
â&#x20AC;&#x153;....all that is necessary is that you remove your personal items (from Milstein) by this Friday, March 20.â&#x20AC;?
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2020. 05 bedroom studio, for the last push and final zoom review
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a thesis during COVID-19
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reflection + updates: jingredients.com