Jingyi Wang by RMIT Landscape Architecture

FLOWING Jingyi Wang Seminar 03

1. Research & Practise 2. Interview 3. Reflection

INTERVIEW & APPENDIX

1. Readings 2. Practising 3. Preparation 4. Reflection

1. Research & Practise Research interest

Megacities looks similar in post-industrial era, however, landscape existing unique in each city, can landscape be the forerunner in urban planning progress? Agency I Agency name: Z+T Studio Location: 201-6, building 5, No. 288, Yunliang community, Qiaozhen Town, Chongming County, Shanghai, China Contacts: (+86) 021-62808929 info@ztsla.com

Z+T Studio refined nature, respect original eco-system: Respecting the natural eco-system is a living Chinese philiosophy. Existing ecology needs to closely studied before an transformation of considered. Z+T Studio has been committed to the development of the landscape industry in China and has become the industry’s biggest surprise with its people-oriented concept and down-to-earth working methods. In the past three decades, China has expanded rapidly at an incredible rate, both in terms of urban scale and infrastructure construction. The planning and construction industry has risen and quickly occupied the market, while landscape can only be used as accessory products and decorations, or even just a slogan, to be left out. Z+T Studio is one of the few companies in the Chinese industry that has always been rooted in landscape design. It allows us to see the different possibilities of cities. Their concept and persistence are what I have always admired. It must be very difficult to walk this way, so I want to know what makes them so passionate about landscape ecology and how they view the city as a landscape designer. Society and humanity? Interviewee

Wenwen Dong Chief Designer of Z+T Studio Research Institute/ National Registered Landscape Architect Designer Dong, who graduated from Kingston University, joined Z+T Studio in 2014 and participated in and presided over the design of a number of Z+T Studio famous projects. (Cloud Paradise, Dory Park, Aranya Park, Muh Shoou Xixi, etc.) After reading the book <Participatory Landscape> which is written by the founder of Z+T Studio. I really interested in the projects which they have done before. Designer Dong’s projects focus on the invisible culture and use the means of landscape to revive the cultural elements of a city, which is also the aspect of urban differentiation. To face the city homogeneity, local culture is being marginalized. How can these intangible human wealth and the land under our feet resist the impact of the wave of globalization? What makes a city unique? This is what I want to explore and understand.

Interview Location: No.40 Studio, Nanjing

2. Interview

Jingyi Wang

Z+T Studio (Wenwen Dong) Time: Weather: Interview Tool: Duration:

3pm on September 16th, 2021 Sunny Voice recorder/ IPAD/ Book 1 hour

JINGYI WANG: Hey, I am Jingyi Wang from RMIT, I am so honored to interview you! Wenwen Dong: Wow, I follow RMIT’s graducation works every year and there are often excellent projects that superise me. Hope this interview can give you some help or experience.

JINGYI WANG: It's so kind of you. As far as I know, you have been working in Z+T Studio for seven years, and many of my classmates have chosen to change careers after graduation. What made you persevere? Wenwen Dong: I chose landscape as a major at first, but I always couldn’t find out the position of our major, and it was easy to confuse it with construction engineering. It was not until I traveled to Tibet when I was in college, where I saw a wider world, and the unique landscape there was something I had never seen in urban life. At that moment, I knew that I had chosen my major, and that this might be something I would like to study and strive for all my life. At present, the urban population in China accounts for 60% of the total population, and the urban area only occupies 3% of the Chinese territory. Most people have no chance to experience the beauty and uniqueness of this world in their lifetime. At the beginning of returning to China, I was lucky enough to enter Z+T Studio and met like-minded colleagues. I really liked the environment of this company. Nowadays, environmental problems are getting more and more serious, a lot of ecological destruction, species extinctions occur on 97% of the land we can’t see, and cities are also facing increasing challenges. The previous heavy rains in Henan Province and the Zhejiang typhoon all showed the fragility of the city. Therefore, people are aware of their connection with nature and participate in environmental construction spontaneously from the bottom up. This is what we have been working hard to achieve, and we are proud to support our ideas along the way.

JINGYI WANG: According to my work experience, I found that in actual projects, the government and developers don't care about ecology. Facing with such a dilemma, I think Z+T has done a very good job. Can you share with me any experience? Wenwen Dong: Actually, we are still facing such problems from time to time. This is a common problem for contemporary designers. The conflict between customer demands and your sense of responsibility, the conflict between reality and ideals. In response to this problem, we set up our own Art Workshop. Because we found that in the design process, the disconnect between the initial idea and the final result is a common cause of distrust of the designer by the client. So our studio’s designers will do some key landscape installations by themselves. In ancient times, designers and engineers did not separate their families. This is also the skill that the company has always asked us to master and practice. It will not only help us revise our ideas but also discover new opportunities, the final results will also impress clients even more.

JINGYI WANG: How do you use the landscape to guide people to understand tangible and intangible aspects of site through participation? Wenwen Dong: People have a natural sense of intimacy with nature since ancient times, the city has isolated this connection, but once this feeling is awakened, people will naturally reveal a sense of pleasure from the bottom of their hearts. This has always been the advantage of the landscape.With more people participating, new cultures, new environments, and new fields will naturally appear. We have always felt that humans are a ‘walking history museum’, we provide places, and humans gather through spontaneous activities to collide with new cultures. In my opinion, this is a manifestation of disrespect for people. They are most energetic only when they want to do something spontaneously, instead of being ‘guided’.

JINGYI WANG: With the increasing homogeneity of cities, can the uniqueness of the landscape and its sensitivity to the social environment break this deadlock and create new connections? Wenwen Dong: Since the reform and opening up in 1978, China has been rushing all the way with the goal of economic development. During this period, many processes that need time to settle to complete were actually compressed. The lack of these accumulations is the main reason why we lose our uniqueness and national pride. What our landscape can do is to open up the folds of time, find the connection between people and the land and root it in the land, and then help the city achieve a more balanced state. This is also the concept of yin and yang that our ancient Chinese culture has always admired.In fact, our company is currently conducting research on rural landscapes, because these aspects are actually very valuable research directions that we have been neglecting before.

JINGYI WANG: What are your imaginations about the landscape in the future of the city? How do you define the value hierarchy of urban design? Wenwen Dong: The status of landscape has really improved a lot compared to when I joined the industry. For example, last year China included the topic of sponge city into the necessary scope of urban planning. This is a variety of challenges that we must face in the future. Landscape is not only an independent discipline, but also a co-ordinated thinking of interdisciplinary cooperation. This is the advantage of landscape architects, and it is also an advantage for all walks of life in the future. A trend presented by the industry. As a landscape architect, I believe that livability is the original intention of urban design. Livability and eco-friendliness should be developed in concert, followed by economic considerations.

JINGYI WANG: Do you think landscape may become a prerequisite for urban design in the future? If it is possible, when will it be achieved? Wenwen Dong: This is indeed a problem that we have been thinking and discussing. On the one hand, the frequent occurrence of global disasters makes people pay more and more attention to landscape, which is a good thing for our industry and the whole society; On the other hand, we don’t want people to understand the landscape and the importance of landscape through such disastrous events. The price is really too high. In the future, landscape will certainly occupy a place in urban design. However, as far as the current situation in China is concerned, this inflection point is far from being reached. Especially after the epidemic, the whole city and market are at a standstill, not to mention the progress of the landscape industry.

JINGYI WANG: What do you think of the impact of the epidemic on the landscape industry? Wenwen Dong: It is accidental and inevitable. The most obvious thing is that there are fewer projects. But I don’t think this is a bad thing. It slows down the pace of our whole society and gives us time to reflect and review, so that we can better start again.

JINGYI WANG: What happened during the epidemic that impressed you? Wenwen Dong: It makes me understand the fragility of life. After all, it has taken too many people’s lives around the world. In the face of these feelings of helplessness, we are powerless. Sometimes I wonder if we will regret if we have to face a scene like the movie ‘The Day After Tomorrow’.

JINGYI WANG: This topic seems a bit heavy. Let's change it to a lighter topic. Can you tell me about your favorite city? Wenwen Dong: Well, I really like London where I studied and lived there for two years.I like the inclusiveness, diversity and openness of this city. It makes me feel that I am not only living, but also a kind of life.

The different features of the whole Europe because of their unique cultural heritage and national pride are worth learning and digging.

JINGYI WANG: I will definitely travel to Europe if I have a chance! I also want to ask, what is your definition of culture and nation? In the current context, these things are actually gradually marginalized. What can landscape designers do for them? Wenwen Dong: In fact, this is a very broad topic. There are many reasons for the marginalization of national culture. Globalization is only one of the factors. For example, the cultural revolution in China has created a huge gap in China’s national culture, and then the emergence of the Internet has put a new generation back into the cultural system. These may be inducements. Now there is a popular saying in China that “economy sets the stage and culture sings the opera”. In my opinion, it is very appropriate. Culture and nationality have become a means and way. Landscape designers can’t change the superstructure, but we can start from the details and try our best to produce some influence and change. As we have done before, the Dory Park starts with local legends and stories as our initial idea, and then realizes the whole design step by step. In this process, we are also infected by this simple story. The profound truth and wisdom spread in the form of story, and we show it in the artistic form of landscape, which is also a silent adherence to and protection of traditional culture and nation.

JINGYI WANG: One last question, if landscape designer become the forerunner of urban design in the future, what ecological elements will you first pay attention to? (for example: hydrology, terrain, vegetation or soil type, etc.) Wenwen Dong: This is a very bold idea. I think it is terrain and landform. Because this is the basis of everything. It determines the conditions of the ground. What kind of soil is there? What kind of movement will happen? What kind of plants are suitable for growth? What kind of hydrological form will it form? Then there is the interaction between these elements. After a comprehensive ecological assessment, how many people can this site accommodate? How many people can land carry? I haven’t thought about it yet, but I think it’s a great proposal!

JINGYI WANG: Thank you for your encouragement. I am really honored to interview you today. I have gained a lot and further deepened my understanding of landscape! I hope Z+T Studio can develop better and better in the future! Wenwen Dong: The ideas of the new generation of students are always getting better and better. We should believe in what we do. I hope you can continue to stick to it, be more patient, and everything will pay off.

JINGYI WANG: Thank you very much. Then I won't bother you. I wish you a happy weekend! Wenwen Dong: Cheers, see you later.

3. Reflection In my opinion, the experience of this interview not only deepened my understanding of my research question, but also gained more about professional thinking and a belief. This short hour is really an unforgettable experience for life. It solves some confusion and anxiety about the future in my heart. In the interview, Designer Dong not only gave me new inspiration in the professional field, about how to make a small step of progress and strive to silently resist the power of capital on a small scale, how to retain the little disappeared invisible nation and culture, and how to encourage everyone to come out from home and use the landscape to stimulate the emergence of new multi-cultural belonging to our era. More importantly, I am more and more aware of the importance of the future landscape and how I should understand and learn this subject. Landscape is a discipline with humanistic care, not only tools and technology, but also represents the problem of how we human beings exist and what attitude we take to get along with nature. Maybe we will usher in a turning point soon, but maybe we will never wait for this day, but this can not be a reason for us to stop exploring and trying. We shoulder greater responsibilities. We should not limit ourselves to small urban parks and landscape corridors. We should look at the overall ecosystem with a broader vision and think about the role of human beings, the role of cities and the role of landscape designers. Looking back on the whole interview process, I found that the success lies in that there is no special pause in the whole process because I have collected and understood the basic information of the interviewees in the early stage. During the interview, I will listen and observe the interviewees carefully, which will make me more focused and put forward more coherent and valuable questions after the interviewees’ answers. However, there are still many problems in the interview process. For example, the questions I prepared are relatively concentrated and highly professional, which makes me unable to remember the complete questions when asking questions. When I want to switch to the next question, the conversion is a little stiff and does not provide a good dialogue atmosphere for the interviewees. In the next interview, I will rearrange the order of my questions and make them coherent and logical. I need to watch some programs about interviews and learn some terms to change topics, so that the interviewees feel that the topic is not so jumping and can be immersed in the topic we are talking about.

1. Research & Practise Research interest

Megacities looks similar in post-industrial era, however, landscape existing unique in each city, can landscape be the forerunner in urban planning progress? Agency II Agency name: Urban Planning & Design Institute of Shenzhen (UPDIS) Location: 26th floor, Zhongdian Difu building, No. 111, Zhenhua Road, Futian District, Shenzhen, China Contacts: HR_answer@upr.cn (+86) 0755-83514346

UPDIS is a planning consulting research and design agency that focuses on creating and pragmatically solving urban problems. It is good at dealing with complex problems in the process of urban development by means of multi-disciplinary comprehensive planning. Shenzhen is the fastest growing city in China. The urban planning scheme of UPDIS has always been based on China’s situation and dares to try new development strategies. I am particularly interested in the planning research department of UPDIS, because my research direction is landscape-driven urban morphology. I really want to understand the current industry’s attitude towards this field and the possible dilemmas, which will help my project more rooted in the context of reality.

Interviewee

Xinyue Chiu Director of Urban Planning in UPDIS Urban Development Research Institute/ National Registered Urban Planner Director Chiu has been committed to practical and theoretical research in urban planning and design. She has participated in a large number of influential projects such as the Guidelines for the Planning and Construction of the Green Ecological City in Guangdong Province, Province and the Study on the Density Zoning of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, Zone and has accumulated a lot of experience in urban strategic planning, urban design and urban renewal. Last year, I participated in the annual project exchange meeting of UPDIS and had a profound impact on Director Chiu’s speech. She proposed for the first time the ecological city strategy of Guangdong Province to improve the status of landscape in the overall urban planning, and aroused deep discussion.

Interview Location: UPDIS Workspace, Shenzhen

2. Interview

Jingyi Wang

UPDIS (Xinyue Chiu) Time: Weather: Interview Tool: Duration:

3pm on September 24th, 2021 Rainy Voice recorder/ Notebook/ Pen 45 minutes

JINGYI WANG: Hey, I am Jingyi Wang from RMIT, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to accept my interview! Xinyue Chiu: You are so welcome, I am also very interested in your graduation project, which is a very grand subject. hope this interview can provide you with some pertinent opinions and provide you with some help.

JINGYI WANG: I am so happy to hear this. I think you just came out after the meeting. Is it because many projects are going to be finished by the end of the year? Xinyue Chiu: Haha, at that time we had a weekly meeting. Urban planning projects and landscapes were not the same, because they involved many aspects, so the periodicity of a project was very long.

JINGYI WANG: On the way from Shenzhen Airport to UPDIS, I have been lamenting that Shenzhen's urban design is unique in China, and it has changed drastically compared to when I was traveling here when I was a child. Xinyue Chiu: Shenzhen has always been at the forefront of Chinese urban design. Since the reform and opening up in 1978, it has been making various attempts and explorations and conveying its experience to inland cities. The beautiful city you see now is a path suitable for China’s development that was continuing explored under the continuous efforts of the predecessors.

JINGYI WANG: I really like Shenzhen’s urban cultural atmosphere and the imagination of public open spaces! This is one of the reasons why Shenzhen can attract a large number of talents. But sometimes I feel that Shenzhen is developing so fast that it loses some of its original features. Xinyue Chiu: Each city has its own unique humanistic feelings and historical background. Even a city as new as Shenzhen has its “fishing village” culture. We hope to find a focus on the humanities and expand the background and stories that the city hopes to be learned by tourists. For example, New York will have some unique city-related cultural floor tiles on the ground, as well as the

retro jazz style of 60s to create the old impression of New York and the new impression of the trend of fashion culture. As for the impression of the city, we hope that the city imagined in the impression, film and television works, and books is very different from the city actually seen. We hope to see the same as in the impression. Even a more fresh urban image.

JINGYI WANG: What do you think of the phenomenon of urban homogeneity?

Xinyue Chiu: Pedestrian streets, convenience stores and similar coffee shops are becoming more and more common in cities, and the uniqueness of cities is lost due to geographical location, so that our “stereotypes” of some cities seem to be less and less. Although many cities are working hard on the impression of local cities and creating special cultural areas in shopping malls, they feel that they are not very helpful to the promotion of urban imaging other than being suitable as a commemorative. The homogenization of cities is an inevitable trend, just as the pace of globalization is something you cannot stop. But ‘things must be reversed’. When the global connection reaches a certain level, they will separate and keep a certain distance. What we are trying to do is to provide a home when they want to go home.

JINGYI WANG: Do you think the media will have an impact on the public’s understanding and imagination of the city? Such as the pursuit of lifestyle? Xinyue Chiu: In fact, this is a problem that contemporary people have lost the ability to think independently. The current media is different from our previous traditional media, which requires qualifications and knowledge base. Communication methods have become diverse. People used to pursue information, but now information pursues human beings. Therefore, in such a general environment, the city itself serves mankind and is a cohesion of human desires. The emergence of cities is to more efficiently accommodate more people and provide a livable environment. Therefore, after Shenzhen experienced a rapid economic take-off, we considered the livability of human beings, which is not contradictory or even synergistic. Cities can’t control people’s thinking. What the city can do is to guide the pace of human beings and control the overall rhythm.

JINGYI WANG: How should residents who hold nonmainstream views of life provide them with comfortable urban space? Xinyue Chiu: A metropolis must be an inclusive, open, urban spatial pattern governed by multiple social actors. We are now trying to localize the concept of community, because in China and even around the world, the sense of distance between people is getting stronger and stronger. This epidemic has also exposed many problems in the city, but it also allows us to see opportunities. Although the energy flow between people and people is slowly weakening, it is still flowing, and it is positive, but the current social environment makes us temporarily

forget this instinct. We try to disperse business to the community to strengthen a sense of connection, so that no one will feel lonely, and urgently connect with the community and the city.

JINGYI WANG: I note that you have been mentioning social economy frequently. How about ecology? Is it possible that ecology will be the priority in urban planning? Xinyue Chiu: Ecology is bound to be the first consideration in urban planning in the future. For now, as people pay more and more attention to the environment, many architectural designs that integrate with ecology are widely loved by people. Architectural works such as Singapore and Dubai that have a lot of green plants and design combined will receive a lot of attention and support. You can see the green space at the end of the city, including many Utopian scenes in TV dramas and movies. Urban planning under the ecological environment is bound to be a general trend. As far as the current national policy is concerned, the focus on ecology is becoming more and more important. Last year, it was announced that the urban plan must be added to the sponge city topic to solve the problem of urban flooding due to ecological damage. Some experts also pointed out at the meeting that the relationship between ecology and the city The relationship should not be an antagonistic relationship, but a unity of opposites and complement each other. I agree with this point very much, which is why I think your topic is very interesting.

JINGYI WANG: Wow! Thanks for your favour! I just wanna know If ecology becomes the forerunner of urban design in the future, what impact will it have on the city? Land utilization rate? Urban traffic efficiency? House price? Xinyue Chiu: If a lot of land is used to build green space, it may have great advantages in ecological protection and visually. However, due to the lower utilization rate of land, from the perspective of capital, places with better ecology may to some extent. Become a luxury area, that is, only the rich can occupy a better “ecological building area”. Just like the famous garden city Singapore, it is actually a kind of capitalist ecology. It seems that their greening is actually serving the tourism and real estate industry. Building a private golf course in the best location instead of a city park is enough to expose their ambitions. In the future, if China wants to truly achieve ecological first, it first needs a suitable soil. This is also the direction of the Chinese government’s step-by-step transformation to establish a communist society and make urban ecology a real ecology. At the same time, this also requires long-term media and Education promotes its importance, making ecological normality and the environment a normalized issue, thereby comprehensively promoting the development of urban ecological planning. UPDIS is also exploring this aspect. For example, the Ecological Planning of Guangdong was a large-scale reflection and change of the relationship between ecology and the city.

JINGYI WANG: I have studied some urban forms and found that they all like to use geometric shapes for planning. Why are there few cities with irregular shapes? Xinyue Chiu: Because urban planning can’t do very detailed parts, its first consideration is convenience of management, traffic efficiency, city operation speed, coordination between the various districts and the distribution of functions. Starting from Le Corbusier’s modernism, buildings were simplified into three parts: columns, beams, and slabs. You will find that the complicated buildings of ancient China, including the European Renaissance period, have gradually disappeared. Since ancient times, urban planners have basically employed by the architect, the original model of the city was a glorious city conceived by Le Corbusier, so the urban planning was also moving in the direction of minimalism.

JINGYI WANG: Does postmodernism have an impact on urban planning? Xinyue Chiu: Post-modernism has a profound impact on urban planning, but it is in the invisible system of the city. They believe that cities should not emphasize order too much, but ‘a mixture of various systems and ideologies’, which also reflects our city’s tolerance for multiculturalism and inspires new cultural ideologies.

JINGYI WANG: W i l l t h e r e b e a n y n e w e x p l o r a t i o n directions and city types in the future for UPDIS to consider? Xinyue Chiu: In the next three decades in China, the aging population and the declining birth rate will become more and more serious. Therefore, the center of urban development will gradually shift from economic to livable. At the same time, the UPDIS is constantly exploring new development models in China’s rural areas. How to adjust the balance of urban and rural population will be a topic we will face in the future. In fact, Chinese rural areas have very precious value to us. We have actually learned more from them than to develop and guide the development of these areas.

JINGYI WANG: Through today's interview, I found that the UPDIS is really as powerful as the rumors. Your advanced ideas and perspectives are indeed not reached in many cities in China. Xinyue Chiu: You have passed the award. This is the responsibility of UPDIS. Cities are related to tens of millions of people, so every step we take must be down-to-earth, taking into account all aspects of the overall relationship. I also believe that in the future, the status of landscape will become higher and higher, so I hope you can stick to your profession and contribute to the city together.

JINGYI WANG: I benefited a lot from this interview, and thanks for your help! I hope Shenzhen will develop better and better! Xinyue Chiu: Me too! cheers and have a nice day!

3. Reflection Through this interview, I learned a lot of urban planning-related knowledge and gained a deeper understanding of my research issues. The homogenization of cities is only a superficial phenomenon, and the deeper level is the flow between the systems and the urban form considered from the perspective of urban efficiency. More importantly, Director Chiu directly pointed out that the close relationship between architecture and the city is out of touch with the landscape. This is very important information for me, and it is something I can study in depth later. Among them, what impressed me most was our entry point for urban public open space. Before, I always confined to the scope of landscape to think about urban green space. In fact, this is fragmented. I should use a holistic and systematic thinking to look at the urban space, and how the landscape should better cooperate with the urban planning to complete the urban construction. Last but not least, Director Chiu’s affirmation of landscape has made me more confident in my major, and it also gave me a different thinking about landscape. In the process of learning, we should not only pay attention to our own project site, but also think about its meaning and its importance on the scale of the entire city or even the country. In the future, when facing a wider range of issues, what attitude the landscape should take to join and give play to its advantages is a question I will think about next. Compared with the last time, the interview process this time has been greatly improved. I can try to grasp the overall rhythm of the interview, and I am not as nervous as the last time. I work hard to pay attention to the tone and expression of the interviewees and express recognition of their answers in words or body gestures. This allows me to listen better and create a relaxed and safe atmosphere. I can feel a harmonious atmosphere flowing between me and the interviewee. This interview is not as blunt as last time, but smoother and more like a dialogue. However, in this interview, I still have some shortcomings. For example, the preliminary understanding of urban planning knowledge was not very sufficient, which led to my reaction and understanding when faced with some professional terms. When asked some key questions, I didn’t dig deeper. In the next interview, I need more preparation and practice.

APPENDIX

1. Readings

Summary & Notes 1. The author tells us that dialogue can occur between any numbers of people, even alone. It is like an invisible ribbon that connects us as a whole unconsciously. 2. The difference between dialogue and negotiation is that the whole progress of dialogue makes people to understand each other well, while discussion and negotiation are one party attempts to convince the other party.

4. Dialogue is the foundation of all communication and the most important part, because it creates an environment that participants do not have any purpose and have desire to share. This activity allows everyone to understand the other party better. In the next possible activities, in the face of conflicts and different opinions, they can put themselves in the situation to understand and feel the other party’s situation.

3. The reason why the communication is difficult to proceed is often because people communicate based on different backgrounds and experience. At the same time, for the same topic, most of them are with prejudices, with they do not think are prejudices.

5. Now people are generally beginning to realize the importance of dialogue. In a group, we need to have more frequent dialogues, which will greatly promote the next work and decision-making.

1. Deep Listening is a new way to do research on Indigenous. This can not only show more respect for the observed, but also a deeper understanding of the wisdom of a nation, rather than simply and rudely copying their wisdom.

is the most basic principle. At the same time, we must learn to respect everyone present to make sure that the process of deep listening can be continued with high quality.

2. The essence of deep listening is to create a quiet community atmosphere and explore the culture and wisdom from various forms of narration. 3. The goal of deep listening is to obtain ancient wisdom, combined with the current context, to make a certain prediction of the future. 4. Listen to both sides and you’ll be enlightened, listen to only one side and you will remain ignorant. 5. Learn to listen to the story, interpret the deep meaning behind the story, and capture the content that cannot be accurately conveyed in words. 6. The premise of deep listening is to provide a good environment for the conversation, and being present

On Dialogue David Bohm (1980)

7. Story is not only a carrier of history, but also a tool of inheritance. 8. The source of the material for deep listening is not limited to various forms of artistic expression. We must learn to dig out the true meaning through these art forms. 9. Narrative Inquiry includes eight aspects: cultural, spirtitual, secular, intellectual, political, practical, personal and public. 10. Five aspects to provide a high quality research: story, waiting, connecting, listening, seeing. 11. Participating in the activities of the locals and learning their ways of expression can not only enhance the relationship between you, but also an artistic medium for expressing to others.

Gulpa Ngawal Indigenous Deep Listening Laura Brearley (2010)

Summary & Notes 1. On the day South Africa abolished the apartheid policy, the ANC organization began to discuss and think about individual identity and how the collective works.

predecessors, so we will never create new things. Only deep thinking can bring creative discovery. To explore their own uniqueness, rather than programmed education.

2. The whole is the external manifestation of part, and the part is the place where the whole exists and can show the characteristics of the whole.

5. What human beings lack now is the ability of vertical thinking, and they are unwilling to put their ideas into practice, because they don’t know whether there will be mistakes, and they prefer guaranteed practices.

3. The most serious impact of globalization institutions is that they can grow by themselves, unify everything with overwhelming force, start with education, study and formulate more efficient models, and then quickly spread around the world.

6. Presence is the only way to the future. Since ancient times, people have paid more attention to their own development in the period of great religion or reform. People should learn from nature and the universe.

4. We should learn to get rid of the way of thinking brought by habitual thinking, to deeply understand what is happening around you, rather than simply learning from the experience of

Presence: Exploring profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society Senge, P, Scharmer, O, Jaworski, J , Sue Flowers, B (2005)

1. 1. Reflective practice is a comprehensive and thorough understanding of things, which is based on the high coincidence of our observation and imagination. This is a process of constant repetition and gradual improvement.

7. In order to prevent the interference of empiricism, we have high requirements for observation ability. Accurately grasp the details of things and constantly see more things and think.

2. Research is a way of gradually discovering ourselves and constantly extending and surpassing our previous experience.

8. The world exists in a dynamic way. We need to know how we connect with the world and influence each other.

3. The research steps are divided into four steps: planning, action, observation and reflection, and this is constantly repeating evolution.

9. We should learn to understand others and the world from understanding ourselves. What we pursue all our life is actually the deepest self in our heart. The deeper you know yourself, the more you understand others and the world. But don’t try to change or anticipate, find him and live with him.

4. An action research should have critical thinking and make timely adjustments. Draw inspiration and try from different fields, and then constantly update and polish. 5. The research process should respect the facts and be the true feedback to what the naked eye sees. 6. We can’t fall into the trap of empiricism. We should practice and show real and tangible evidence by ourselves.

10. In the process of research, the views of others are also very important. A truth can stand the test of different people and time.

Action Research inside a Reflective Social Practice: A Delicate Empircism Allan Kaplan, Sue Davidoff (2014)

Summary & Notes 1. Prepared well. You need to choose the topic of interests first and consider the interviewees which related to topic. Tools, specific questions, well-dressed are important. Be polite and do not be late. (before) 2. Focus on interviewees, and give timely feedback on their answers. (in) 3. Find some detail things that can make you remember the enviorment in that interview. After all, write a formal letter to express my thanks for this interview and some of my harvest

Addition: 1. Don’t interrupt others during the interview. 2. Check the equipment before the interview to ensure that no technical problems occur. 3. Prepare some easy topics and don’t make the scene too serious by talking about professional and technical issues all the way. 4. Clear structure and grasp the rhythm of interview.

DIY Project Based Learning for ELA and History Heather Wolpert-Gawron (2016)

1. Make your interviewer have a sense of security. First, you need to make your questions very clear, simple and understandable. Don’t make your interviewers feel confused, nervous and uncomfortable. 2. Show your passion. The interviewee may not want to answer your question and feel confused if you do not feel interested and focus on this interview. 3. Know what’s your position. you can’t to dominate during this interview. If you talk too much during this interview, the interviewee may can not share their points. If interviewees talking too much, they may talk too much irrelavent contents towards the topic.

4. Using a proper way to interrupt he or she when they are talking although it is hard to do that. 5. Practise more and more to make yourself natural and confident, because your interviewees can see your ficial expression,your eye contact, gesture and movements.

Ellen Show Ellen Lee DeGeneres (2018)

6. Use your eye contact, gesture and movement to highlight some parts, and let your interviewees know that you are interesting about what they are talking, its also let your interviewers relieve nervousness. It’s good to have an interaction with each other in order to hold a successfully interview.

Reflections As an interviewer, I am a listener. For the information provided by the interviewees, I need to grasp the feedback to them and encourage them to express themselves freely. In my opinion, I need to first understand the background information of interviewee, and create a relaxed environment for them with the curiosity of meeting a new friend or the mentality of chatting with an old friend, so that they will be willing to share more information with me. For example, I had an interview with strangers who used the site which I did research on. At that time, I was not mature enough to communicate with others. I did not realize it was an interview. I was eager to raise my questions without creating a relaxed environment first, which caused me to scare away many interviewees.

2. Practising

Conversations with my seminar group During the conversation, I am an organizer. Coincidentally, there are classmates I knew in this group. So, I first choose to have a short conversation with her and talked about some common daily topics about study and life in recent weeks. In my opinion, this action can create a relaxed atmosphere when everyone do not know each other, and at the same time, this dialogue also conveying some basic information about us. Then I started to ask some basic questions from the classmates in our group, such as, which city you come from? Who was your former studio tutor and listen to their answers carefully. After their talking, I will say some of our common ground, or my own understanding of their information to open up the topic with them. Maybe the local food is a good entry point. Sometimes, I will adjust the way I ask questions according to the way they speak and intonation. After having some basic understanding, I will share some of my own opinions on the topics given by the tutor, and then everyone spoke in turn. I think I am a connector in this conversation, and I want to create a relaxing environment for everyone to participate in it. I also notice the non-talking classmates. I will tentatively ask some questions and observe what topics they are interested in. Interview of my mother Before the interview, my mother and I said I would interview you. She said she was very nervous and didn’t know what to say, so I decided to interview him in another way temporarily. In the evening, I invited her to go out for a walk and finished my interview during the walk. At first, I talked with her about some recent news and entertainment gossip, just like what we used to do when we walked. Then I incorporated the question I wanted to interview into the recent news ‘China’s house prices are rising’ in this topic, I began to ask, ‘are you satisfied with the current urban life in Nanjing’ She said, “if you work, you are satisfied, but you are not very satisfied with your life.” then I began to ask, “if you want to live, which city do you prefer to live in?”, She hesitated and said ‘Venice’. I was surprised because I had never heard of his interest in the city before. Then, I continued to ask ‘why’, and she replied a little shyly, ‘because I am a person who pursues romance. I like a city with a strong natural environment and artistic atmosphere. Although I have not been to Italy, I am full of longing for this city’. Then I expressed my affirmation and support for her answer. Through this brief interview, I understand that the interview can take place anywhere, but the principle is to make the interviewee feel comfortable and relaxed. During the interview, we should respond positively to their answers, express some of our views and ask the next question at an appropriate time. This will make the whole interview process less rigid.

Interview of tutor in university Before the interview, I sent a wechat message to my university teacher to ask him about his recent itinerary and indicated that I wanted to interview him in landscape specialty. He replied to me quickly and made an appointment. At the appointed time, I arrived at the door of his office on time. After we went in, we talked to each other about some recent situations. It’s a bit like an old friend we haven’t seen for a long time. It’s a feeling we didn’t have in school before. It’s a little wonderful. Then I started my interview. During the whole interview, my university teachers always answered my questions like a stream and talked freely, and even gave me some perspectives I hadn’t considered before to understand my major. The last question impressed me most, ‘if you go back 30 years ago, would you choose to be a university teacher or start a landscape company? ‘Be a teacher, because someone must be a guide’ The interview process made me slowly get to know this former teacher again. In the past, I didn’t seem to understand his strictness. But now he is so cute standing in front of me. This makes me understand that an interview is not only the acquisition of knowledge, but also the communication with people. Through the interview, you can get more valuable information and more thinking.

3. Research

Research interest Megacities looks similar in post-industrial era, however, landscape existing unique in each city, can landscape be the forerunner in urban planning progress? Related Agency

Agency name: Urban Planning & Design Institute of Shenzhen (UPDIS) Location: 26th floor, Zhongdian Difu building, No. 111, Zhenhua Road, Futian District, Shenzhen, China Contacts: HR_answer@upr.cn (+86) 0755-83514346

UPDIS is a planning consulting research and design agency that focuses on creating and pragmatically solving urban problems. It is good at dealing with complex problems in the process of urban development by means of multi-disciplinary comprehensive planning. Shenzhen is the fastest growing city in China. The urban planning scheme of UPDIS has always been based on China’s situation and dares to try new development strategies. I want to conduct my interview. I will first send an interview application letter to the company, clarify my research direction, interest in the company’s projects, and some information I want to know.

Agency name: Z+T Studio Location: 201-6, building 5, No. 288, Yunliang community, Qiaozhen Town, Chongming County, Shanghai, China Contacts: (+86) 021-62808929 info@ztsla.com

Z+T Studio refined nature, respect original eco-system: Respecting the natural eco-system is a living Chinese philiosophy. Existing ecology needs to closely studied before an transformation of considered. Last year, I read the book <Participatory Landscape> which is written by the founder of Z+T Studio. I am really interested by concept and projects they have done. They focus on the invisible culture and use the means of landscape to revive the cultural elements of a city, which is also the aspect of urban differentiation. For an interview with this company, first of all, I will send an interview application letter and say my love for his ideas. My current research direction is related to them, and show that I deeply agree with their design methods and want to know more about them.

III

name: Location: Contacts:

Gordon Jie Xi Goh Unit 509N, 18 Waterview Walk, 3008 Docklands, Victoria, AU Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordon-jie-xi-goh-242902149?originalSubdomain=au

Gordon is a student who graduated from RMIT in 2020. His graduation project impressed me very much. He has a thorough understanding of the process of land change, the interaction of ecosystems, and their interaction with people. My research topic involves the dynamic change of landscape, and I am particularly interested in the operation of the whole system. When you zoom out of Google maps, you will find that you can’t see cities, but every landscape on earth is unique. To interview him, first of all, I will become friends with him through linked in. Then I show my love for his graduation design works by private letter, and I am very interested in his research process.

4. Interview

Question (UPDIS)-1st edition 1. As a landmark company in China’s planning and design, UPDIS is famous for its courage to explore different urban spatial forms. I would like to ask, in the face of today’s urban homogenization, what urban planning strategies do you have to give full play to the advantages and characteristics of a city? 2. Last year, I participated in UPDIS’s online annual summary meeting and was very interested in your topic of “Practical Planning from the Perspective of Governance Innovation”. In the meeting, Dean Du proposed that the importance of economic development in urban planning should be replaced by people’s daily lives. Based on this topic, I wanna know will people’s pursuit of urban life today become similar due to the influence of media advertising? So, how should those who maintain non-mainstream survival concepts provide them with suitable urban space? 3. I was fortunate enough to observe some planning project texts of your company before. I noticed that the ecological landscape part has been considered in the final stage of analysis and design. In 2016, a huge flood occurred in Shenzhen, which caused serious consequences. Is this due to the negligence of ecology in urban planning? Does this make landscape a priority aspect of urban planning? 4. If in the future, ecology has become a priority for planners in the design process. So, what impact will this have on today’s cities? For example: land utilization rate? Urban traffic efficiency? House price? Question (UPDIS)-2nd edition 1. I really like Shenzhen’s urban cultural atmosphere and the imagination of public open spaces! This is one of the reasons why Shenzhen can attract a large number of talents. But sometimes I feel that Shenzhen is developing so fast that it loses some of its original features. 2. What do you think of the phenomenon of urban homogeneity? 3. Do you think the media will have an impact on the public’s understanding and imagination of the city? Such as the pursuit of lifestyle? 4. Is it possible that ecology will be the priority in urban planning? 5. If ecology becomes the forerunner of urban design in the future, what impact will it have on the city? Land utilization rate? Traffic efficiency? House price? 6. I have studied some urban forms and found that they all like to use geometric shapes for planning. Why are there few cities with irregular shapes? 7. Will there be any new exploration directions and city types in the future for UPDIS to consider?

Question (Z+T Studio) 1. As a famous studio in China, Z+T Studio shows us that the status of landscape in China is gradually improving and has the hope to occupy a place. I like your idea to think and study the natural ecosystem as an urban philosophy. I want to know what is the opportunity for you to choose to adhere to the establishment of the landscape company in the contemporary era when the landscape is only an accessory of the planning and construction industry? 2. I appreciate your company’s views, such as ‘existing ecology needs to be closely studied before an transformation of consideration’. The ecological damage caused by the rapid expansion of cities now occurs in every corner. The government or developers will not spend too much time on ecological assessment for economic benefits before development. Then, in the face of such difficulties, what social responsibility should a landscape designer bear to balance the balance between economic development and ecological protection our experience is worth learning from? 3. Last year, I was very lucky to read the work <participatory landscape>by your founder Zhang Tang, which contains the complete design process and reflection of your project, and I can also see the growth process of Z+T Studio all the way. I am very interested in the historical context and cultural exploration of the site. For example, I use the way of landscape to guide people to understand the tangible and intractable aspects of site through participation and interaction. I break the boundaries generated by the city and re-establish the connection between man and nature. I want to know whether landscape can be used as a new landmark to break the deadlock and create new connections and change value hierarchy of urban at a time when urban homogenization is becoming more and more serious? 4. If ecosystem becomes a prerequisite for urban design in the future, what ecological elements will landscape designers first pay attention to? For example: hydrology system, topology, vegetation or soil, etc. why？

4. Interview

E-mail to request an interview (UPDIS) Dear Sir or Madam, I’m Jingyi Wang, a student majoring in Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology university landscape architecture design. I have always known that Shenzhen Planning Institute, as a landmark company of China’s urban planning, has always been the learning object of its peers. I really appreciate your company’s contribution and remarkable achievements in the exploration of new urban space. Last year, I participated in UPDIS’s online annual summary meeting and was very interested in your topic of “Practical Planning from the Perspective of Governance Innovation”. In the meeting, Dean Du proposed that the importance of economic development in urban planning should be replaced by people’s daily lives. My research project this year is based on the post industrial era with increasingly serious urban homogenization. The possibility of the role of landscape designer to be the forerunner of urban design. Nowadays, the economic development oriented urban planning has exposed many disadvantages. Your company has keenly discovered this problem and put forward the transformation of urban planning in time, which is a very courageous suggestion. As an immature student, I really want to know the various types of problems that will be encountered in the practice of landscape planning, as well as the perspective that UPDIS will think from and cut into the core of the problem. And why landscape ecology has not been the first issue to be paid attention to in planning, even if there are so many urban climate disasters. In this interview, I want to interview the conceptual planning and design personnel of your company. Ask about some considerations in the initial stage of urban planning and possible situations in practice. Of course, I am also very interested in some exploration of urban culture. Sincerely yours, Jingyi Wang Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University Master’s degree Tel: 86-17314967509 E-mail: s3819026@student.rmit.edu.com

E-mail to request an interview (Z+T Studio) Dear Sir or Madam, I’m Jingyi Wang, a student majoring in Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology university landscape architecture design. As a student majoring in landscape, all of us are full of worship and longing for Z+T Studio. I really like your design and agree with the concept of your company. Last year, I read the book <Participatory Landscape> which is written by the founder of Z+T Studio. I am really interested by concept and projects they have done. They focus on the invisible culture and use the means of landscape to revive the cultural elements of a city, which is also the aspect of urban differentiation. My research topic this year is based on the post industrial era with increasingly serious urban homogenization. The possibility of the role of landscape designer to be the forerunner of urban design. Nowadays, the urban renewal project has gradually marginalized the indigenous people in the city, and the local culture and folk customs have gradually faded. Instead, chain brands, similar residential buildings and urban public space treated in the same way, the city has lost its unique elements and vitality. Your company’s projects, such as could paradise and Dory Park, have achieved great success in the design of urban public space. As an immature student, I would like to know how to capture the intangible cultural, artistic, ethnic and human intertwined network in the venue, and how to closely combine the initial concept with the final physical project to achieve the best effect. In this interview, I want to interview the designer of your company. Understanding the research experience in site investigation and history and culture. Sincerely yours, Jingyi Wang Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University Master’s degree Tel: 86-17314967509 E-mail: s3819026@student.rmit.edu.com

5. Reflection / Intra-view Do you think a short interview can really get real information? Or in the face of interviews with students like us, do they have a more mature response mechanism? -Maybe I should look at some relevant classic interview cases to learn the questioning methods and rhythm of excellent journalists, so as to obtain the information I want. Is ‘presence’ really the only solution to the gradual homogenization of the capitalist world? -After the epidemic, I saw more possibilities, although China has developed rapidly in the past three decades and absorbed the culture of other countries through a series of policies such as introducing educational resources and opening the market. However, when the disaster came, they made the same choices and actions as China in history. The national spirit displayed by cultural inheritance at that moment will never change. It has not been homogenized due to cultural invasion.

What kind of knowledge or ability do you want to learn through this course? -My favorite designer Rem Koolhaas used to be a reporter. His works can always solve problems from different perspectives. I think part of the reason is that he doesn’t have the inertial thinking as a designer. He can break through the stagnation brought by habits and think more deeply about the problems. This may be what I want to learn. Have you learned what you want through half a semester’s study? -When I finish reading the relevant reading materials, I will subconsciously start to pay attention to the way I speak, reflect on whether my sentence has an impact on the other party, and more often think from the other party’s position. At the same time, I learned to listen deeply, which changed my bad habit of only listening to key words, but patiently listened to the narration and thought about what others really wanted to express in the process. Interview preparation is not as simple as I thought before. In fact, it requires a lot of research on the environment and the other party, which is a bit similar to our professional preliminary analysis. Now when I think about my project, I will add the collection of historical environment and social phenomena to better understand my site.

Overall Reflection Through the study and practice of interview-related knowledge during this semester, not only a skill is acquired, but more importantly, how to learn how to listen, observe one thing, make a summary and then critically reflect on it, and to find relevant knowledge. The next time you practice, this is an important research process that is constantly updated, iterative, and moving in the direction you want. For example, in the initial interview practice with my mother, I found that creating a comfortable environment for the interviewee would be more conducive to the interview. In the next interview, I will pay special attention to these details. The second important point is not to fall into the trap of empiricism easily. In the first formal interview, I will find that the atmosphere is a little different in normal times, and the air flowing in the space seems to be a little still. The experience summarized before and the details of attention seem to have not achieved the desired effect. So after the first interview, I carefully reviewed the entire process and analyzed little by little what went wrong. After that, I watched the “Ellen Show” repeatedly, summed up and recorded what the host did well, and then simulated my next interview environment and chose the method I think was appropriate. The last and most important point is to concentrate your attention highly, whether it is during an interview or review after an interview, this is also true for research. In the second official interview, I found that the whole process was better than the first time. I could clearly feel the flow of air and emotions between the two sides. During the interview, you should not only pay attention to the content of the interviewee, but also pay close attention to the details, such as expressions, postures, speed of speech, tone of voice, how often and how they interact with you, and so on. Only after mastering all these details, you can get some comprehensive experience. Then I continue to find out which details I have overlooked before and are now exposed, and I am making a comprehensive preparation for the next practice. I have discovered many advantages of interviews through this course. In the preliminary preparations, I will have the opportunity to learn various aspects of knowledge that I have not covered before and have a certain basic understanding of it, which gives me the breadth of knowledge Is wider. During the interview, I will also learn the wisdom of others, the way of thinking about problems, and their logic. This is a field that I have never studied before, which allows me to dig into my inner self in the process of contacting others. In the process of reflective practice after the interview, I found the fun between updating my knowledge base again and again and constantly iterating my way of working.