Melbourne University Beijing Most 2009 Architecture Studio

Dear Colleagues,

As per discussion we were going to publish our areas of interest in the blog so everybody can have a look at what other people are thinking.  As I have written down mine I will be the first to share it.  Please edit this post so you can add your name and then your idea or ideas.

The general theme under which we can gather all our interests and final projects could be something like: 

Conservation, heritage & culture in the Western District. Envisioning alternative futures to LGX

What I am trying to say is that we can try, if we believe that the present development of LGX is not completely appropriate, to create a different vision of what the future can be for the Western District that is both respectful with what is currently there and also accommodates change without an excessive gentrification.

Jaime

What is the future value of the informal spaces in hutongs?

These spaces or public areas are a result of the building setbacks that some sihe yuans have from their boundaries. I will study the conditions of these informal public spaces and see if there are lessons to be learnt about their physical conditions and also about the way in which these spaces are used by the locals.

One of the main issues, as I see it, with the rapid introduction of capitalism and a market economy is that, more and more, social life is reduced to economic life. This means that all sorts of amenities have to be paid for, this discriminates the economically disadvantaged in any given society. Chinese society has seen, in recent times, a great increase in wealth disparity between the wealth and the poor.

If the Western District is to follow any development pattern similar to that seen in Luo Gu Xiang since 1999 it will, eventually, became a gentrified area. Conservation of the built heritage is not enough in itself to preserve social customs, cultural heritage. So even if some areas, if some sihe yuans are preserved and the original occupants stay if they come from poorer backgrounds they will be disadvantaged by the rise in social life based mostly on consumerism.

As a possible counterpoint to this new consumer model of public life I will try to determine if maintaining and enhancing these informal, remnant urban spaces will achieve a more diverse and fare public realm (obviously this will have to be coupled with the existence of a local community).