Oblivious Objects
"Everything & Design": Portfolio toward a Full Stack Urbanist
Zhaoxuan Duan For Columbia University GSAPP MSUP 2021 Admission
Methodology of a "Full Stack Urbanist"
"A full stack developer is a web engineer who works with both the front and back ends of a website or application—meaning they can tackle projects that involve databases, building user-facing websites, or even work with clients during the planning phase of projects." ——skillcrush.com I borrow the concept of "Full Stack" from computer science due to the similarity of an application and a city. In the complicated urban system, humans replaced bytes and keep it running. Instead of hardwares, built environment serves as the fondation; instead of algorithms, society regulates people's behavior. A Full Stack Urbanist means a person who is aware of whole operation mode and development logic of a city, enable him/her engaging in the city through various aspects: Society, Space, History, as well as dealing urban issues through multi means: Design, Develop, Research.
Content Ⅰ.
Urban Theory & Design: An Experiment
Renewal of a Workers' Collective Residential Compound/Beijing/China/2019
Ⅱ.
Real Estate Development & Design: A Procedure
Design and Development of an Office Campus/Nanjing/Jiangsu/China/2018
Ⅲ.
Social Engineering & Design: An Alternative
Response to COVID-19 for a Favela/Rio de Janeiro/Brazil/2020
Ⅳ.
Resilience Planning & Design: A Border
Response to Sea Level Rise & Urban Decline/Oakland/California/USA/2019
Preface Urbanization shows a dynamic process on a space-time-society ternary structure: in the view of post-Marxism, the three-part dialectic includes Spatial, Social and Historical aspects, thus in the circumstance of urban changing, it's possible that objects (including people and sites) were not engaged in the ternary structure equally. Some objects have been abandoned, ignored or forgotten, and became the victims of urban decline, over-urbanization or climate change. In this collection, I focused on the "Oblivious Objects": the oblivious people or sites in cities. Beyond urban renovation, I meant to solve the urban problems through multiple ways combined with and beyond simple spatial design.
"Die Arbeiter haben kein Vaterland. Man kann ihnen nicht nehmen, was sie nicht haben." ——Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei
Renewal of a Workers' Collective Residential Compound Beijing/China Academic & Personal A Combination of an Individual Coursework Study and an Individual Volunteer Design Advisor (of Coursework Study only): Marco Cenzatti, Tamara Kerzhner(GSI) Study was Finished in UC Berkeley at Spring, 2019 Design was Finished in Beijing at Summer, 2019 Both were Refined at Fall, 2020 Utopia, usually be described as a place of ideal perfection, especially in laws, government, and social conditions. Thus, the description of Utopia is usually considered as a reflection of the present. Specifically in the context of urban study, utopia is considered as an urbanized area in which social and spatial perfectness exists. The procedure toward the state of perfectness is so-called “Utopianism”. Generations of urbanists put forward different but related utopianism theories, trying to build a utopia in the imperfect world with various but connected methodologies. Most of the approaches failed, but all of them affected the current urbanism deeply and thoroughly. Wherein, the utopianism practices in USSR, Eastern Europe and PRC left sufficient heritages known as Микрорайо́н (Microdistricts in Russian), and most of them are facing decaying in the post-communism era. Some of them became Slums, and even can be described as DYSTOPIAs. These legacy of the largest utopianism experiment in human history provided urbanists plenty of resources for spatial experiements throught urban renewal. In this project I meant to illustrate a piece of phylogeny about utopianisms' development through historical nodes, and tried to deduce the logical core of their spatial design in contemporary age. Through the summary and illation, this project meant to offer a general social and spatial approach toward the renewal of the heritage. Specificically, the prototype located in a 1950s workers' residential compound in Beijing, China.
Content
Ⅰ Urban Theory & Design
An Experiment: lim(Conter-dystopia) Utopianism→Heterotopianism
= Neo-Utopia
Preface Part 1. Historical Research Abstract Introduction From Books to Experiments To the East, To the Far East Bibliography Link-up 1: a Sample of Existing Former "Utopias" Link-up 2: Timeline Study of the Sample: Jiuxianqiao, Beijing, China Link-up 3: Sample Critics Part 2. Reform Proposal: "Conter-Dystopia"
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Renewal Workers' Residential Compound
An Experiment
Part 1 Historical Research
Introduction: a Long-lasting Dream Today, rather high portion of urban residents of Communist states (past and present) still live in old collective compounds known as microdistricts. After the worldwidely downfall of Communist regimes, some countries chose decommunization, which includes the deconstruction of microdistricts.
Building a Secular Utopia: the Evolution of Utopianism
Most of these compounds were built before 1980s, and suffering from various problems caused by urban decay: population decreasing, public security deteriorating, infranstructure aging, etc.. Thus, the urban renewal of these compounds is necessary and urgent. However, instead of simply demolishing these compunds and building high-risers, I believe the urban renewal should respect the urban context and genius loci. For instance, having a condo in an isolated, fully functioned urban/suburban Xiaoqu (modernized microdistricts) was still most Chinese people’s dream, which is a symbol of civilized and stable. The microdistrict's influence on people's mind is deep and through. Moreover, The excisting microdistricts formed various cities' urban fabric, and sometimes even urban residents' lifestyle. Most of the residents were workers who worked for national factories for their entire life. The urban renewal process should consider the logic behind the generation of thus urban texture and spatial hierarchy. The methodology leads to following questions: How was the design of microdistrict proposed? How did communism influence or even decide urban space? What are the historical, social and spatial reasons? Is communism's spatial control a coincidence or inevitable? To answer these questions, this essay traced back to the outset of Utopianism: the book of Utopia.
Peiping (Beijing) 1945
Beijing 1956
A Comparision between Old Town and Microdistrict in China which Showed the Unique Urban Fabiric by Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning
From Books to Experiments: Utopia, Utopian Socialism and Communist Manifesto
Abstract
Utopia
Utopia, an enclosure of social and spatial perfection, is also related to the reflection of the present. As the procedure towards utopia, utopianism has witnessed generations of thinkers’ social and spatial theories and experiments. This essay aims to trace the phylogeny of utopianism through six important historical nodes. By analyzing the differences and similarities, this essay endeavors to explore the core of utopianism and form a better understanding. First, utopianism embodies the shift in technology advancement and social conflict in every era. Second, utopianism aims to establish a social and spatial homogeneity, avoiding challenging factors such as inner polarization and outer impact that break up the harmony.
At 15th century, Self-cultivators and tenants in Britain lost their land in countryside due to the enclosure movement: The nobles and gentries took the land of farmers away and changed the farmland into grassland in order to feed the sheep for wool industry. The medieval British countryside’s homogeneous spatial structure (formed by self-cultivators and tenants’ small pieces of land) and social structure (one landlord ruled several tenants) were destroyed. Heterogeneity invaded the peaceful idyll countryside: there were a class of people who no longer belonged to the long-lasting social structure. On the other hand, the accompanying spatial structure change brought even more heterogeneity, in other word, conflict. The rural area was formed by two different components: the enormous rangeland and the small tenant-owned fields. Thus, at the year of 1516, the book Utopia came out.
The phylogeny research included following historical nodes: Thomas More’s book of Utopia (1516) Utopian socialists’ theories and practices (late 18th and early 19th century) Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto (1848) Urban theories and urbanization practices in USSR (1920s-1930s) Utopianism practices in Eastern Europe and PRC (1950s-1990s) the present echo of utopianism: gated communities in China (1990s-now)
by which your sheep, which are naturally mild, and easily kept in order, may be said now to devour men and unpeople, not only villages, but towns; for wherever it is found that the sheep of any soil yield a softer and richer wool than ordinary, there the nobility and gentry, and even those holy men, the dobots! not contented with the old rents which their farms yielded, nor thinking it enough that they, living at their ease, do no good to the public, resolve to do it hurt instead of good.1
Portrait of Sir Thomas More, English humanist and statesman, Chancellor of England By Hans Holbein the Younger, 1527; in the Frick Collection, New York City
1. Utopia, Thomas More, 1516
2
Renewal Workers' Residential Compound
An Experiment Features Summary of Utopia
-Limited Scale Limited population in every city would make the country perfectly centralized and it could ensure the social control came directly from central goWvernement to keep the social homogeneity. -Isolation It was an unknown island which was difficult to reach: which meant the outsider could not enter as well as the residents could not leave. “The channel is known only to the natives; so that if any stranger should enter into the bay without one of their pilots, he would run great danger of shipwreck.”2 -Equality In the Utopia, there were no upper-classes and no lower-classes due to public-ownership, thus every one shared equal social identity. -Autocracy Utopia was governed by a lifelong ruler named Prince and a congress made up with 200 veterans named Syphogrants. It's an elitism country with authoritarianism.
Title woodcut for Utopia Which Showed the Isolation of Utopia and Inner Simmilarity By Thomas More, Utopia (Froben Edition, 1518)
-Spatial-homogeneous Utopia was an island state with agriculture-based cities, which were almost same to each other. “He that knows one of their towns knows them all—they are so like one another, except where the situation makes some difference.” 3 “Their buildings are good, and are so uniform that a whole side of a street looks like one house.” 4
The Utopia was perfected, in every way, in order to maintain its inside homogeneity and avoid the invasion of outside heterogeneity. In fact, the whole Utopia was a place with social and spatial homogeneity: there are 41 “same” word in the whole book. Thomas More suggested that the Utopia would be a wealthy society just based on agricultural production and very limited handicraft, and hoped the public-ownership and high moral standard could optimize the distribution of production. Also, the usage of slaves in Utopia implied that the utopia was still based on exploitation. In conclusion, the utopia didn’t work as guidebook but a literary idyllic imagination.
"Same with same" Fractal Art of Utopia, Drawed by Author Fractal: noun. a curve or geometrical figure, each part of which has the same statistical character as the whole.
Utopian Socilism Between 18th and 19th century, industrial capital was becoming the dominating force of the Europen world. Unlike 15th century, the workers were contained in the system of cities comparing with feudalistic age, which made the cities expanded rapidly. Cities was filled up with industry workers who were unable to meet basic living needs.
Through these word, we could tell that More showed great discontent to the happening shift. He criticized the newly-formed capitalism social and spatial structure, and offered a blueprint through a book of fictional literature.
Human always tend to find answers to present from the history. The theory of utopia became popular due to is idyllic thought core, thus people started to try bringing Utopian cities to real world. A few thinkers known as utopian socialists emerged, such as Henri de Saint-Simon (1760-1825), Charles Fourier (17721837), Étienne Cabet (1788-1856) and Robert Owen (1771-1858). They all carried out an idea of building a new city isolated from the original urban area.
Foucault used the metaphor of human body to describe the features of utopia:
Photography of Micheal Foucault, a post-modernist https://www.rfi.fr/cn
…Utopia is a place outside all places, but it is a place where I will have a body without body, a body that will be beautiful, limpid, transparent, luminous, speedy, colossal in its power, infinite in its duration...There is also a utopia made of erasing bodies. This utopia is the land of the dead, those grand utopian cities that the Egyptian civilizations left behind…The mummy is the great utopian body that persists across time…1
Let's take Robert Owen's utopianism as an example. It used the idea ‘community’ in the arrangement of the future society, in which held 500-1500 residents. He designed communities called New Harmony.
1. Utopian Body, Michael Foucault, 1966
3
A Dense Workers' Residencial Area in City during Industrial Revolution https://tempisque13.wordpress. com/
Renewal Workers' Residential Compound
An Experiment
To The East, To The Far East: Utopianism In Eastern Europe and PRC
Features Summary of New Harmony -Equality New Harmony contained only agriculture and industry workers. It was designed to bea homogenous city, in which all properties were publicowned, thus everybody shared equal social identity in the hierarchy of wealth. New Moral World, Owen's Envisioned Successor of New Harmony By Robert Owen, Le livre du nouveau monde moral, 1834
There was an interesting utopian metaphor of the Russian revolution in 1917: unlike recent revolutions in China (1911) or Portugal (1910), the Russian revolution was based on a theory which respecting revolution itself: Marxism. Thus, the legitimacy of the revolution was only revolution itself. The circle of self-reference was pre-perfected and self-consistent, JUST LIKE AN UTOPIA.
-Isolation The New Harmony’s geological position was intentionally chosen in the new continent of North America, which meant the new community was isolated from the old continent, both spatially and socially.
In 1922, the first ever socialism country: The Soviet Union was established. With the revolution, Communism and utopian socialism were shifted to the east, where the biggest social and spatial experiments in human history began. Several new urbanism theories came out in USSR at first, and all have strong connection with the previous utopian socialists’ experiment and book of Utopia. Two different but both radical descendants of the utopian planning theory were established during 1920s and 1930s. The two theories differed, but they all held the idea of eliminating heterogeneity and building a perfect country with homogeneity.
-Spatial-homogeneous Every resident from New Harmony lived in same type of house, and had same level of public services. -Limited Scale and Pre-Perfected After the population exceeded the limitation of 1500 people, some of the members would have to leave the community and built a same community somewhere. In other word, the perfect utopian community didn’t tolerate spatially change.
-Urbanist School:Including modifying the old cities to establish spatial homogeneity, abolishing family and all public-ownership in order to give everybody same social identity, fully centralized to keep the cities well-perfected in social and spatial aspects.
In this case, we can see the strong influence from the book Utopia to utopian socialists. The preference of homogeneity from Utopia was inherited by Robert Owen and used as a guidebook for future. In conclusion, The utopian socialists wanted to solve the urban problems in ways the same with the Utopia: be isolated from heterogeneous old cities and built a new city with homogeneity.
Disurbanist School:Including abandoning the old cities in order to abandon the old heterogeneity, building settlements away from each other in order to avoid the possibility of formation of difference.
Communism Utopian socialism peaked in late 18th and early 19th century, which was earlier than Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)’s birth. Taken the advantage of the pioneers, they criticized and perfected the theories of utopian socialism, and built foundation of Communism. The symbol of communism’s birth as a systematical theory would be the announcement of The Communist Manifesto (1848). Poor Living Condition of Workers during Industrial Revolution https://tempisque13.wordpress. com/
Besides, the early leaders of USSR, Lenin and Stalin, advocated a lifestyle of collectivism. Features Summary of USSR's Collectivism1 -Demolish Private Life Including abandoned family and following spatial form: original familybased residences. Stalin had a famous quote: “A true Bolshevik shouldn’t and couldn’t have a family, because he should give himself wholly to the Party.” The communists claimed that the distinction between private life and public life would lead to the betrayal of Communism.
Features Summary of Future Cities of Communism1 -Public and Homogeneous The Manifesto described the form of future world with ten suggestions, and can be summarized as: fully nation-owned land, fully nation-owned industry, fully nationalowned banking, abolition of inheritance rights, combination of agriculture and industry, combination of urban and rural area, public children welfare.
-Demolish Private Life Lenin believed the “bourgeois family” and “bourgeois space” were harmful to the future socialist world, Family would no longer exist, and the original families’ function would all be replaced by nation’s public services. With the disintegration of families, the original social form based on marriage would die out as well. By published a policy know as “uplotnenie (condensation)”, USSR government forced the original residents and urban proletariats lived together.
-Dictatorship of the Proletariat In order to gain higher-level social identity and spatial rights in both rural and urban area, the proletariat must rise up and overtook the world.
Stalin and Lenin in 1922 By Maria Ilyinichna Ulyanova, Public Domain, https:// commons.wikimedia.org/w/ index.php?curid=6903456
Finally, Urbanist school was the main theory which influenced the urban planning theory more in USSR’s early stage. The residential complexes were designed to be the basic units of metropolitan area, known as “Микрорайо́н” (Microdistrict). Designed by Leonid Vesnin (1880-1933), the first microdistrict located in Simonovskaya Sloboda, Moscow at 1922. It held the similar principle of Clarence Perry (1872-1944)’s Neighborhood Unit at 1923. It cannot be just coincidence: a more convincible explanation is they were both influenced by modernism, communism as well as previous utopian socialism’s spatial theory. Modernism held the same spiritual core with utopian socialism, which was that everything in the world could be designed with ration and every problem could be dealt with
-Equality In the public-owned/national owned world, everybody’s social identity and spatial identity were equalized. The Marxism accepted the identities in labor division in an industry society and the consequential social and spatial difference. Portrait of Karl Marx By John Jabez Edwin Mayal, Public Domain, https:// commons.wikimedia.org/w/ index.php?curid=591288
Disurbanist School’s Moscow reform plan, 1929 From Li, Hao (2018, October), Socialist Cities’ Planning and Construction of the Soviet Union in 1930s: Historical Review on the Origin of Soviet Planning Model, Planning History Study, 77-85
Marx claimed that the spatial rights were reflections of social rights. In other word, Marx pointed out the main reason of inequality and injustice is heterogeneity in wealth. The communism theory showed the necessity of revolution to modify the old cities, to eliminate the heterogeneity in old cities and bring homogeneity in the new world.
1. Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, 1848
1. The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia,Orlando Figes, 2008
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Renewal Workers' Residential Compound
An Experiment territory of USSR.
One of these collectivism communities usually contained playgrounds, a school, a kindergarten, a grocery store and various residential buildings. Since the microdistricts were usually attached to certain factories, ideally a microdistrict could fulfil a person’s basic living needs for nearly entire life with the accompany of USSR’s planned economy system. In a microdistrct, nearly everything was based on equality and collectivism. In this system, manager of factory shared same quality of housing and living theoretically, and they were comrades at work so there were no social hierarchy existing.
Analysis on Main Socialist States (or Regions) on Eurasia1 Drawed by Author
Collage of Communism Utopia Drawed by Author Using Material from USSR Propaganda Poster Design Sketch by Ludwig Hilberseimer Photograph of Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова
At the year of 1945, with the defeated of the Axis, the Red Army brought communism to the whole Eastern Europe by liberated them. Thus, the utopian planning theory was brought to Eastern Europe as well. Numerous microdistricts were built up with the post-war rebuild process as a efficient approach. The microdistricts and the communal buildings were the best solution to the massive housing shortage problem.
advanced technology.
From East Berlin to Budapest, from Prague to Warsaw, the concept of building an secular utopia in the form of a combination of Communist Parties, microdistrcts, public-owned factories and collectivism was set up.
Another factor which affected the urban planning theory of USSR was the OSA Group (Organization of Contemporary Architects), founded at 1925.
Comparision between Narkomfin Building(1928) and Unité d'habitation(1952) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Narkomfin_building
Being the first group of constructivist architects, they considered themselves as combination of sociologists and architects. The communal building’s methodology in Russia had enlightened Le Corbusier, and leaded him to the modernist masterpiece: Unité d'habitation, which revealed the philosophical connection between modernism and utopian spatial theory.
The same process also happened in the far east country: China. After the Liberation War, PRC started to build a new country on the underdeveloped agricultural land of China. The effort on eliminating the heterogeneity in PRC had a unique theoretical base: unlike the previous attempts in the west, which usually focused on solving the urban problems in industrialized cities, China’s attempt was at the very moment before industrialization.
Leonid Vesnin, S.E. Chernyshev, N.Y. Kolli and many other architects carried out the Communism ideology in urban design and built mircodistricts all over the
The Significant Rise of USSR's Urbanization Ratio After Microdistrict was Introduced2
Maoism’s Three Major Differences explained the confrontation of China’s unique 1. Data source: The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Samuel P. Huntington, 1996 2.Data source: Russian Urbanization in the Soviet and Post-Soviet Eras, Charles Becker,S Joshua Mendelsohn and Kseniya Benderskaya, 2012
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Renewal Workers' Residential Compound
An Experiment
-Isolation and Autocracy Very few people can leave the system without official orders, and any outsider could not enter the space. Danwei, on the other hand, usually meant nation-owned factories. Dayuan and Danwei connected strongly and it took care of everybody’s life in Dayuan, from birth to death. There was kindergarten, education system, recreation facilities and even governments.
Features Summary of PRC's Rural People’s Commune -Pre-perfected The people’s commune was neither urban nor rural; it was like the New Harmony, a fully functional utopia which contained agriculture, small-scale industry, primary schools and medical clinics.
Comparision between Two Countries' Urbanization Rate at
the Year when Microdistricts Were Promoted Data Source: http://www. mohurd.gov.cn/ Drawed by Author
-Homogeneous and Public-owned The people’s commune supposed to contain workers, farmers, soldiers, students, merchants. The social identity distinguishes and the spatial right distinguishes were all eliminated because people lived in collective and work for public. The homogeneity was established in the new type of settlements, which soon established in similar form all over the nation in the countryside. -Isolation and Autocracy Also, Hukou system stuck farmers in their communes and avoided outsiders’ invasion.
China's Urbanization Ratio and Historical Incidents Drawed by Author problem: the difference between farmers and workers, the difference between cities and countryside, the difference between manual labor and mental labor. These three problems were the barricades on China’s approach toward homogeneous communist society, as well as a developed industrial world. In China, the process of communization and industrialization were merged and became undividable.
We can see that both the people in Dayuan and People’s Commune were restricted to their own social identity and spaces. That’s what the utopian socialists failed to do: the regime didn’t have enough autocratic power to maintain the homogeneity. For instance, the New Harmony’s failure had an important reason: the people lived in the community felt unsatisfied and decided to leave or change their job. In PRC, as well as USSR and Eastern Europe’s approach, the population was restricted by Hukou or similar system: a registered personal social and spatial identityin order to keep citizens tracked and under management.
In the cities, Dayuans were built in order to contain new industrial workers to achieve indutilazation and modernization. Villages and some old buildings were removed in order to reform spatial structure. Dayuan became the basic social and spatial units since 1950s.
At last, most of the Dayuan and people’s commune disintegrated due to the system could not adjust to the development of cities. With the economic growth, more and more people decided to leave the system of Danwei and Dayuan, which meant the structure’s foundation, stability, was deconstructing.
Free Canteen in Commune Showed the Public Life among Villagers http://www.people.com.cn/
Features Summary of PRC's Urban Dayuan1
Similar Dayuans in Two Remote Cities, China Source: Google Earth, Beijing and Wuhan
-Stable Hukou system was a long lasting Chinese invention, in order to differ the social identities of citizens, which is similar to USSR’s domestic passport system. Hukou system could easily avoid migration between cities and urban-rural.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Thomas More (1516). Utopia Robert Owen(1836). The Book of the New Moral World Karl Marx. Friedrich Engels (1844). Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 Karl Marx (1845). Theses on Feuerbach Friedrich Engels (1847). Principles of Communism Karl Marx. Friedrich Engels (1848). The Communist Manifesto Karl Marx. Friedrich Engels (1867). Das Kapital Friedrich Engels (1880). Socialism: Utopian and Scientific Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (1906). Anarchism or Socialism? Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1919). Economics And Politics In The Era Of The Dictatorship Of The Proletariat Zedong Mao (1920). Communism and Dictatorship Zedong Mao (1930). A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire Zedong Mao (1956). On the Ten Major Relationships
-Homogeneous and Public-owned Hukou, Danwei and Dayuan formed a stable and strong urban system, clumstered urban residents into social and spatial clumps. Inside a clump, the homogeneity was basically achieved: producing, living, politics and recreation, every need was fulfilled, just like a utopia. Dayuan distributed all over Chinese cities and shared same design with each other. Every apartment in the Dayuan was public-owned, thus the resident only had the right to live in it, had no right to modify it with their own flavors. Some of them were for government officers, some of them were for workers, and some of them were for soldiers. Every Dayuan was a small isolated society, everyone lived in the Dayuan was both colleague and neighbor, and earnt similar salary, thus shared social identity in homogeneity.
1. Li, Yang (2018, May), The Soviet Union’s Factor in Beijing Urban Planning in the 1950’s, Contemporary China History Studies, 97-128
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Zedong Mao (1955). On the Co-Operative Transformation of Agriculture Henri Lefebvre (1974). The Production of Space Michael Focault (1966). Utopian Body Orlando Figes (2008). The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia Charles Becker,S Joshua Mendelsohn And Kseniya Benderskaya (2012) Russian urbanization in the Soviet and post-Soviet eras Li, Yang (2018, May), The Soviet Union’s Factor in Beijing Urban Planning in the 1950’s, Contemporary China History Studies, 97-128 Li, Hao (2018, October), Socialist Cities’ Planning and Construction of the Soviet Union in 1930s: Historical Review on the Origin of Soviet Planning Model, Planning History Study, 77-85 Hou, Li (2008, January) Socialism, Planned Economy and the Modernism Utopia——A Retrospection on the Soviet Union’s Architecture and Urban Planning in the First Half of Twentieth Century, Urban Planning Forum, 102-110
Renewal Workers' Residential Compound
An Experiment
Link-up 1: a Sample of Existing Former "Utopias" The experiment of Utopianism has caused urban problems in various cities, especially in developing countries' expanding cities. The unchangeable spatial enclosures needed to be classified and studied.
The specific history timeline shows the Jiuxianqiao Microdistricts' rise and fall. In addition to the general research, it reveals the utopianism in local view.
Link-up 2: Timeline Study of the Sample: Jiuxianqiao, Beijing, China 7
Renewal Workers' Residential Compound
An Experiment
Link-up 3: Critics On the Sample Microdistrict: Jiuxianqiao, Beijing, China The residential complexes were designed to be the basic units of metropolitan area, known as “Микрорайо́н” (Microdistrict). Designed by Leonid Vesnin (1880-1933), the first microdistrict located in Simonovskaya Sloboda, Moscow at 1922. It held the similar principle of Clarence Perry (1872-1944)’s Neighborhood Unit at 1923.
Microdistrict
Hierarchy of Semi-Public & Semi-Private
Dominance of Politic Power (Public Facility)
Hierarchy of Producing & Residential
Dominance of Politic Power (Government)
Hierarchy of Order & Discipline
Dominance of Social Consensus (Rational Society)
VS
Panopticon
Hierarchy of Inspector & Inmate
Dominance of Autocracy Power (Insepector)
In 1975 Foucault used the panopticon as metaphor for the modern disciplinary society in Discipline and Punish. He argued that discipline had replaced the pre-modern society of kings, and that the panopticon should not be understood as a building, but as a mechanism of power and a diagram of political technology. Fontana-Giusti, Gordana (2013). Foucault for Architects. Routledge. p. 89–92.
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Renewal Workers' Residential Compound
An Experiment
Part 2 Reform Proposal "Conter-Dystopia": the Renewal of a Former Utopia
Methodology of "Conter-Dystopia" Past Bring Ideality to Reality "Utopia"
Sous les pavés, la plage! Mechanical Solidarity
Located in Periphery
Single-center Unity
"Under paving stones, the beach!" is a slogan from the May 1968, France. I believe the true freedom is beyond dulism of private and public, and Nature might be a proper metaphor to it. Nature means a site beyond "public and private" dualism system. Making nature the new spatial structure of NeoUtopia would bring a new social structure of community, as well as the society.
Conter-Dystopia
Present Degenerated Reality "Dystopia"
Nature
Disintegration
Anomie
Acting as a "Basin"
Fragmented Unity
Private means a complex building aiming at pure private's existence. Every suite would work as a uniqe "block" and only share transportation and supplyment connection with outside.
Private
Future Reflect Reality with Ideality "Neo-Utopia"
Organic Solidarity
Will be a Hub
Fragment in Unity
Public means set of spaces range from public spaces to semi-private spaces, distincting by the degree of enclosing. Public also works as a transition between city and community.
Public 9
Renewal Workers' Residential Compound
An Experiment
View of "The Private"
Feature 1: Customized
The Suites are pre-fabricated modulars produced in factories, and included 2 sizes: 24 m2's studio and 72 m2's family condo unit. The partition walls are movable, which are connected to the ceiling and floor by trackslider system, enabling changing by residents alone. The floor and ceiling are built by frame and blocks, allow the modification of pipeline interfaces.
Feature 2: Self-help
The Suites are supplied with full life-related services such as delivery and trash disposal. Drones are able to supply to-door dervice.
Feature 3: Metabolizing
With the move-in and move-out of residents, the building would be expanded and disintegrated. The Suites could be removed or renewed if necessary. The building could grow, evolve or perish due to the need of people; the suites act as cells, and the building itself is temporary.
Second Floor Plan
Features of the Private 10
Renewal Workers' Residential Compound
An Experiment
View from a balcony facing "The Nature"
Master Plan
View from a platform of "The Public" 11
Renewal Workers' Residential Compound
An Experiment
Utopianism vs. Metabolism: How Similar? After the research and design process, the final design product has shown a form and methodology similar to Metabolism, an architectural movement from post-war Japan. It's intresting how Utopianism-Socialism-Stalinism route (as this project beyond) and ModernismMilitarism-Marxism route (as Metabolism) shows such similar destination.
Sanlitun
Sanlihe
Hepingli
Replication & Application: In an Expanding City 12
Baiwanzhuang
Andelu
Renewal Workers' Residential Compound
An Experiment
View of the methodology apllied in Ukraine
View of the methodology apllied in Germany
View of the methodology apllied in Georgia
View of the methodology apllied in Russia
View of the methodology apllied in Belarus
View of the methodology apllied in Poland
Replication & Application: In the Changing World 13
"Rent, considered as the price paid for the use of land, is naturally the highest the tenant can afford in the actual circumstances of the land." ——The Wealth of Nations
Design and Development of an Office Campus Nanjing/Jiangsu/China Academic & Personal A Combination of an Individual Volunteer Study and an Individual Studio Design Advisor(of Studio Design Only): Xiao Wu Study was Finished in Nanjing at Fall, 2018 Design was Finished in Nanjing at Winter, 2018 Both were Refined at Winter, 2020 As the second-major city of Yangtze-River Delta other than Shanghai, Nanjing is developing rapidly on the path of urbanization. But on its way toward a metropolitan area, the process of multi-polarization is not going well. The uni-polarization of Nanjing, especially in the main city, is a serious contemporary urban problem. The Xinjiekou Business Area and Qinhuai CBD has taken most resources of Nanjing's office and retail market. Meanwhile, the origin of Nanjing's urbanization, Fuzimiao Business Area and its periphery, is facing the situation of urban decay. It had been a major commercial area of China for thousands of year, but nowadays rather than supplying the residents with services and employment positions, it is only an average place of interest for tourists group who would come here only once and most likely never again. Moreover, due to the recession of this area's real estate market, developers tended to make land reserves rather than development, which did great harm to local community and the process of urban renewal. The project of Taipingnanlu Office Campus is my answer to the urban renewal process of Nanjing's old town. In the view of region, I proposed the Hongwulu Sub-CBD as a branch of Qinhuai CBD, in order to creat a cluster which supplies positions in high-added valued industries, thus support the Fuzimiao B.Area with a fixed customer group. As a seed of this proposal, I selected an urban residual site at the core of future Hongwulu Sub-CBD to build the first block. Aiming at the strict regulation of FAR and height for the newly developed properties and the shortage of open spaces for elders and kids in this area, I designed the formation of "Office Park" as the seed development plan.
Ⅱ Real Estate Development & Design A Procedure: Reborn of Remains
Urban renewal is a complicated procedure, and I believe urban design is only the pyramidion on the top of a pyramid: finance and policies are more fundamental in the structure. Thus, this project shows a whole process of a commercial real estate development program, including industry planning, land acquirzation, replanning of infranstructure, trademix planning, architectural design, leasing and maintainance, and developing a cash-flow analysis of this development project through income statement sheet.
Reference The New Imperialism The secondary and tertiary circuits absorb excess capital into investments of long duration. Within the secondary circuit of capital, flows divide into fixed capital for production and the creation of a consumption fund. ——David Harvey, 2003
Design and Development of an Office Campus
A Procedure
Table 1. General Status of Nanjing
Population (2016) Area (sqt.km) GDP (Yuan, Jan.-Sept. 2017) Third Industrial GDP (Yuan, Jan.-Spet.2017) Unemployment Rate (2016) Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods (Yuan, Jan.-Spet.2017) Per Capita Disposable Income (Yuan, Jan.-Spet.2017) CPI (Jan.-Spet.2017) Real Estate Development Investment (Yuan, Jan.-Spet.2017)
Table 2. General Status of Nanjing's Major CBDs' Office Buildings Name
Gulou Xuanwu Jianye Qinhuai
Vacancy Average Rent (Yuan per Sqt. Rate m per Month)
7.2% 14.2% 9.9% 10.9%
Figure 1. Trend of Office Buildings
Figure 2. Trend of Commercial Properties
8,270,000 6,587 1,049,500,000,000 514,600,000,000 1.9% 409,100,000,000 40,671 102.2 154,500,000,000
Table 3. General Status of Nanjing's Major B.Areas' Commercial Properties Name
142.0 Gulou 168.0 Xinjiekou 121.3 Hexi 144.8 Fuzimiao
Vacancy Rate
15.9% 2.4% 10.3% 7.4%
Average Rent (Yuan per Sqt. m per Month)
694 1,234 1,127 720
A. General Analysis Summary
1. According to Table 1, Figure 1 and Figure 2, Nanjing is still on the stage of rapid real estate developing, and the office building market would be able to absord enough newly-increased properties. 2. According to Table 2 and Table 3, Qinhuai CBD and Fuzimiao B.Area hold average rent and vacancy rate, which are acceptable.
B. General Development Proposal
1. Make connection between downtown and old town, in order to speed up urban rennovation of Nanjing City. 2. Use a seed project as a part of a Sub-CBD in order to keep the city center balance in commercial and business.
General Market Analysis 15
Design and Development of an Office Campus
A Procedure
16
Design and Development of an Office Campus
A Procedure
Typical Cluster Ground Floor Plan
Typical Cluster Standard Floor Plan
Master Plan 17
Typical Cluster Top Floor Plan
Design and Development of an Office Campus
A Procedure
Space 1: Public Community Green
Space 2: Semi-Public Campus Hallway
Elevation of a Typical Cluster 18
Design and Development of an Office Campus
A Procedure
Development Budget Fee Name
Section
Subsection Land use charge
Land Cost
City infrastructure supporting fees
Municipal infrastructure construction Pipe network construction Urban fire protection facilities and equipment construction Urban construction management
SUM UP Conceptual planning scheme fee Conceptual architectural design
Design fee
Early Stage Engine-ering Cost
General layout of the building Feasibility study fee Services Project measurement fee Civil air defense supporting fee Project quality supervision fee Application fee
SUM UP Construction cost Equipment installation fee Interior decoration and Construction configuration fee and installation engineering Construction drawing budget, costs etc. Earthwork fee Survey fee Tap water
Housing develo-pment
Sewage Electricity Tele Road
Public facilities
5,085,000
150
339,000
10
203,400
6
101,700
3
565,729,100
15,313
36,943
1
2,586,010
70
110,829 36,943 2,955,440 73,886 1,108,290 923,575 73,886 10,676,527 39,898,440 3,879,015
3 1 80 2 30 25 2 289 1,080 105
184,715
5
498,731
14
10,170,000 610,200 50,000 30,000 1,800,000 200,000 50,000
300 18
15,000 10,000 100,000 100,000 59,377,851 2,000,000 3,000,000 5,000,000 200,000 36,179,504 16,800,000 682,162,982
CCTV
SUM UP
Project management fee Sales expense Financial expenses Other fee Contingency cost Contract tax
TOTAL SUM UP
16,519
Sanitation
From Nanjing land bet No. 2016G40
Note: The VAT calculation was based on the 5-year tax free regulation according to NZF[2016]124 document; The NPV calculation used the discount rate of 8% per year, based on the caculation criteria inside national owned real estate company in China; The contract tax rate is 30%; The VAT rate is 13%; The annual increase of rent is 5%; the vacancy rate is 4% in commercial and 10% in office, regard of Nanjing's average statistic.
Base on plan area (3.39 ha)
Acquisition and Development Fee (Yuan)
Note
560,000,000
1,781,750
Internet
Tax
Total Cost (Yuan) Cost per m2 (Yuan)
Greening
Outdoor Lighting
Pro Forma (2019-2031)
2019
Land Cost
250
29,688,925
29,688,925
3,400,000
3,400,000
3,400,000 16,800,000
42,483,376
19,853,355
48,293,355
2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 Operating Income (Yuan)
2028
7,257,600
7,620,480
8,001,504
8,401,579
8,821,658
9,262,741
25,200,000
26,460,000
27,783,000
29,172,150
30,630,758
32,162,295
13,271,040
13,934,592
14,631,322
15,362,888
16,131,032
36,864
38,707
40,643
42,675
45,120
47,376
49,745
52,232
45,465,024
47,738,275
50,125,189
-276,480
-290,304
-3,847,104
-4,039,459
6,912,000
Base on building area (36,943 sqt.m)
2030
2031
9,725,878
10,212,172
10,722,781
33,770,410
35,458,931
37,231,877
39,093,471
16,937,584
17,784,463
18,673,686
19,607,370
20,587,739
44,808
47,049
49,401
51,871
54,465
57,188
54,844
57,586
60,465
63,488
66,663
69,996
52,631,448
55,263,021
58,026,172
60,927,480
63,973,854
67,172,547
70,531,175
-304,819
-320,060
-336,063
-352,866
-370,510
-389,035
-408,487
-428,911
-4,241,432
-4,453,504
-4,676,179
-4,909,988
-5,155,487
-5,413,262
-5,683,925
-5,968,121
0
0
0
0
0
41,341,440
43,408,512
45,578,938
47,857,884
50,250,779
18% Design fee
2029
0 -22,160,593 -23,268,623 -24,432,054 -25,653,657 52,763,318
Operating Expense (Yuan)
33,240,890
34,902,935
36,648,081
38,480,485
Operating Expenses
-6,819,754
-7,160,741
-7,518,778
-7,894,717
-8,289,453
-8,703,926
-9,139,122
-9,596,078 -10,075,882 -10,579,676
Net Operating Income
34,521,686
36,247,771
38,060,159
39,963,167
41,961,326
44,059,392
24,101,768
25,306,856
26,572,199
27,900,809
0
0
0
0
0
-5,727,721
-3,133,230
-3,289,891
-3,454,386
-249,236,079
9,665,808
8,850,841
7,995,032
7,096,333
6,152,595
5,161,562
4,120,862
3,028,007
1,880,383
675,245
16,261,748
17,076,715
17,932,524
18,831,223
19,774,960
20,765,994
21,806,694
22,899,549
24,047,173
25,252,311
VAT Payment Interest Principal Sale
Base on greening area (7,167 sqt.m)
Cash Flow (Yuan)
N/A
Cash Flow
8,594,130
10,320,215
12,132,603
14,035,611
818,696,578
16,033,771
12,404,115
-4,959,018
-3,910,591
IRR
109,105,921
NPV (Yuan)
Base on building area (36,943 sqt.m)
N/A
10,676,527
Others Tax
Commercial Rent Income Coworking Office Office Rent fee Single-building Office Facility Rent Meeting Room Fee Function Room Potential Income Vacancy Commercial amendments Vacancy (base on average Office Vacancy vacancy rate) Government Share Effective Gross Income
Base on building area (36,943 sqt.m)
N/A
Construction Fee
2022
Base on building area (36,943 sqt.m)
2021
565,729,100
Equity & Debt Share SUM UP
Base on building area (36,943 sqt.m)
2020
-2,809,743 575,060,858
13.4%
Schedule
1,607
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2032
2033
General Arrangement
Assumption
Construction
N/A
Operation
Exit & Upgrade
Investment Arrangement Investment Promotion
3% total fee
Contract Negotiation
Investment Promotion
Profit Arrangement
3% total fee
Company-engrossed
18,465
19
Company-government Split
"It can operate in the dark, spread silently if we’re not paying attention, then suddenly explode if we aren’t ready. And moves like a bushfire." ——Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Response to COVID-19 for a Favela Maré/Rio de Janeiro/Brazil Academic Teamwork/Leading Role (In Charge of Narrative, General Plan and Drawing) A Competition Design with Yue Huang, Jing Zhang, Yiru Ding, Yuchao Zhang Advisor: Li Bao, Yu Zhang Design was finished through online studio at Spring, 2020 Completely Refined by Author at Fall, 2020
The sudden strike of COVID-19 has already caused a great change all over the world. It has broken down the globalization-producing world easily, and has done great damage to every single related industry: intercontinental transportation, movie industry, even catering. Maré-Cidade is segregated with Rio city, spatially and socially, due to multiple reasons. After research, we focus on two main aspects of segregation. First, the administration is segregated. Mare holds a character of The Others in the city, which means the government (mainly the police force) treat Mare differently. Due to the failure of government’s public policies, the gangs and cartels have become important governors in local society. Second, the infrastructure condition is segregated. Mare has much worse infrastructure comparing with Rio city, including basic sanitation, health and social care system. What’s more, the strike of COVID-19 pandemic adds more x-factors to the segregation. The title of this project is Alternative City, which has multiple implications. First, due to the segregation, Mare is a whole different city comparing to Rio de Janeiro; thus, the spatial design procedure and social development in favelas should be different with Rio de Janeiro. Second, the longing pandemic has become a New Normal, the world will be never same as the world before; thus, the urban design would consider two different patterns: the trough and peak of COVID-19 pandemic. Third, comparing with the situation before, the favela will be a much better community after the urban planning project
South America
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
Ⅲ Social Engineering & Design An Alternative: Disperasion
Concentrate
Reference The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development SDG11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. ——United Nations, 2015
Maré
Response to COVID-19 for a Favela
An Alternative
Introduction to COVID-19 Era and Mare
Data Source: Our World in Data, https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-source-data Data Cleaned and Chart Drawed by Author 21
Response to COVID-19 for a Favela
An Alternative
COVID-Adjustment Mechanism
22
Response to COVID-19 for a Favela
An Alternative
23
Response to COVID-19 for a Favela
An Alternative
Through
Design of POD
"Plaza Of Diverse"
24
Peak
Response to COVID-19 for a Favela
An Alternative
25
"And the Lord said to Noah, Take all your family and go into the ark, for you only in this generation have I seen to be upright." ——Genesis 7:1
Response to Sea Level Rise & Urban Decline Oakland/California/USA Academic & Personal A Combination of an Individual Coursework Study and an Individual Volunteer Design Advisor (of Coursework Study): Karen Chapple, Abigail Cochran(Co-Instructor) Study was Finished in UC Berkeley at Spring, 2019 Design was Finished in Nanjing at Fall, 2019 Both were Refined at Fall, 2020
Full Coursework Study Link https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~duanzhaoxuan/2019/03/22/west-oakland-what-is-going-on/ The urban history of West Oakland could date back to the 19th century. In 1849, Gold Rush happened and the population prospered. Central Pacific Railway company bought Oaklands waterfront property and created the Long Wharf in 1868. 25 years later, in 1893, the Key System of transportation was confirmed, which made West Oakland prosper and high in vitality. The Great San Francisco Earthquake happened on April 18th, 1906. Many residents influx into West Oakland and the population doubled in this case. In 1912, 16th Street Train Station was built, acting as the terminal of railways from east. During 1940-50s, many people traveled from south of America to West Oakland, which is called “Great Migration” in this period. According to scientists, sea level rise would threat all coastal cities, including the neighborhood of West Oakland. Sea level rise is a slow-moving threat, but it demands immediate action. Global warming creates hazards that cause significant harm to people, neighborhoods, infrastructure, and economy. In Bay Area, sea level rising is a major threat in a few decades. The 89 Earthquake and the de-industrialization has done great harm to this area, and it affects West Oakland until now. The train station was shut down to build the highway near it, and it was finally abandonded in 1994. Today, we could observe a kind of mixed-up situation in West Oakland. New middle-class houses are built and several abandoned blocks remain, which means there are both urban decline and gentrification going on.
Ⅳ Resilience Planning & Design A Border: Stand to the Deluge
Reference The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development SDG11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. ——United Nations, 2015
Response to Sea Level Rise & Urban Decline
A Border
Trouble A: Environmental——Sea Level Rise Trouble B: Social——Urban decline & Gentrification
27
Response to Sea Level Rise & Urban Decline
A Border
Neighborhood Composition
Public Arcade ×1
Neighborhood Hall × 40
City Hall ×4
the Border Composition (In 1km Legth) 28
Public Park ×1
Response to Sea Level Rise & Urban Decline
A Border
Key Achievemen 2: Public Life + Commercial Facility
Key Achievement 1: Public Life + Flood Proof
Port-Neighborhood Section of the Border 29