Comments on: Shenzhen. The New, New City

By: Ashley Tyra

Ashley Tyra — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 06:46:38 +0000

Building on a large scale in a place with almost no context from the past is both a blessing and a curse for an architect. Often times architecture is inspired by the buildings that exist around a site—but what happens when there is no sense of place on a site so massive and bare? Rem Koolhaas says, “Each time you ask yourself, ‘Do you have the right to do this much work on this scale if you don’t have an opinion about what the world should be like?’ We really feel that.” As someone who studied architecture as an undergraduate, I believe that the easy answer to his question is “Yes!” Architects have an ethical responsibility to have some meaning behind their work, as well as an informed idea about how their work connects to the context of the place they are building in. Much like Shenzhen has become a place for political experimentation, places expanding at a similar rate can become a playground for architectural innovation.

Without the forming of instant cities described in the National Geographic article, development would not be happening on such a large scale. The source of the boom for these instant cities is the result of small businesses adopting cut-throat tactics:
1 – Find suitable products.
2 – Pick a city with a new development zone, invest life savings, and build factory.
3 – Poach skilled workers from competitors.

Seeing a city like Shenzhen reach an economic boom so quickly is impressive—from fishing village to city nearly over night. Having only ever experienced west coast cities like Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Seattle, I am looking forward to seeing a city that has embraced architectural and entrepreneurial exploration like Shenzhen has.

By: Keith Cody

Keith Cody — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 06:55:08 +0000

To me, when I read about what is going on in China, I think about Robert Moses in the United States. I always wonder what NYC and the east coast would be like if there was no Jane Jacobs. Well, in places like Shenzhen, we see what our future would have been.

Today’s architects already worry that China is creating a soulless community and I agree. If you allow an architect to fully create their vision, you end up with Disneyland. It’s no accident that Disneyland resides in the most soulless part of California - master planned Orange County.

Buildings and areas without people are generic and lifeless. Rem Koolhaas, is painfully aware of how hard it is to escape the generic. People give these places soul. The only part of Shenzhen with a soul is the older communities that weren’t destroyed. They’re vibrant and have life and a sense of history.

Architects just create buildings — spaces for people. Urban planners create the common living areas for people. After reading these articles, I wonder if there is a Chinese Jane Jacobs.

To learn more, read
The Death and Life of Great American Cities (50th Anniversary Edition) (Modern Library) by Jane Jacobs, is required reading for all urban planners and The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York is still important, 31 years about Moses’ passing.

By: Fred S.

Fred S. — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 06:10:32 +0000

The New York Times article states that the architecture in China is very modern and forward thinking, while in America, we try to make buildings look like the past. China is trying to make the “21st century, China’s century.” It is amazing how fast some of these cities such as Shenzhen have developed. My only concern is that they may become cultural wastelands like many cities that do not have a common identity. The article compared Shenzhen to a city like Los Angeles that is sprawled and comprised of many neighborhoods with no central identity. Unlike cities like New York or Paris, Shenzhen has not grown organically from a rooted history. It will be interesting to see feel the vibe in a new city like Shenzhen compared to other historic cities we visit in China.

Shenzhen is essentially a playground for architects and politicians in Beijing. It is likely a politician and architect’s dream, but what does this mean for the people living there. Nowhere in the article did it mention the people living in these architecturally advanced buildings. Do they like the new designs? Are they functional? From the reading, Shenzhen sounds like a city in its own world. Similar to the movie, “The Truman Show,” Beijing and the rest of the world look on as Shenzhen lives day to day in its experimental life.

By: Jeffrey Brown

Jeffrey Brown — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:26:44 +0000

I found the comparison of Shenzhen to American cities in the NY Times article particularly interesting. The article states that Shenzhen is looking ahead to new and more modern architectures while American cities are looking back to old. This reminds me of the topic of a previous blog post, “Is America Declining?”. While our growth has slowed substantially and our infrastructure is beginning to lag behind, Shenzhen is developing at the rate we were in the early 1900’s. This makes me wonder if Shenzhen will follow a similar pattern and if the world will view it as “declining” when another country such as Brazil starts to develop just as rapidly as Shenzhen is today.

By: Georgia

Georgia — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 23:25:50 +0000

I am trying to prepare myself for the intensity of Shenzhen. The picture narrative from the New York Times was very informative. It is interesting to think about how a city grows. Usually it starts with a central area and growth radiates, but in Shenzhen’s case there is no central hub. The term “handshake buildings” reminds me of descriptions from 1920’s New York. I think it is a fascinating phenomenon that we are, in a way, able to look into the past, but in doing so we change it. The development of these Chinese cities is like our own but since they have access to current technology, so different. There is a stark contrast between the huge, glittering skyscrapers and the crumbling single family homes. The article was backed up by Bill Chillingworth’s talk. It was astounding how fast the process occurs.

By: Charles Dornbush

Charles Dornbush — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:42:19 +0000

I agree with Professor Carr that the best quote from this article is that China now models what America did in the 20’s and 30’s, rapidly expanding cities. Cities like Shenzhen must be paradise for ambitious architects and construction companies. Shenzhen really is an experimental city, both economically and politically. The last 30 years have shown us what most unregulated capitalism can do, and if China starts experimenting with new political models there, it might be a window to the future of all of China. Shenzhen seems like a very exciting place and I look forward to going there.

By: Grant

Grant — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:39:52 +0000

I didn’t understand why the urban villages that saw development around them didn’t sell their land for development. It would seem that would provide their way out of poverty. There was a photo with huge concrete lined holes in the ground only 20 feet apart. I imagine those may be for dealing with septic water. hmmm.
It does look like our country 100 years ago, but does their future look like ours? Are they going to have the resources to continue to maintain this vast infrastructure? Today it is an asset, but tomorrow, it may become a liability.

By: Daniel Fleek

Daniel Fleek — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:46:40 +0000

I thought the way the Chinese government handled the original villagers of Shenzhen was interesting. By letting them keep their land and developing all around them, they were able to increase property values which then allowed them to transform their living areas to suit the new city environment. Although this seems like a great idea, I thought that this practice in a city with its own economic rules was the reason why handshake buildings were built. Since there is so much economic freedom, people just tried to build as much as they could in as little space as possible which I think interferes with human rights since now the migrant workers had to live in such small confined living spaces. However, the growth in Shenzhen is very impressive. In the New York Times slideshow, I couldn’t believe the difference in today’s Shenzhen to the early 1980’s photo of the fishermen. So in this way, I think the special economic zone is working in that it has transformed a little fishing village to a bustling modern city.

By: Vladimir

Vladimir — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:27:39 +0000

To go from a fishing village of several thousand to a city of 14 million in 30 years is amazing. It took the right conditions for Shenzhen to make the transformation including: Being designated a Special Economic Zone with privileges designed to spur growth and availability of workers in surrounding areas who would be attracted to the city in great numbers. Even in the 1920s – 1940s, with nationwide population growth, no US city grew nearly this fast. It looks like the “small government, big society” political experiment is working, as far as city growth is concerned, but what impact will it have on people’s view of the government, will they want even less government involvement and eventually challenge party rule?

I knew employers had the upper hand in China, but I didn’t think factories would regularly withhold salaries and not pay workers what they owe. Are there laws against this, and if there are is it easy for companies to break them anyway? Enforcing these laws might make workers feel more dependent on the government.

I look forward to visiting Shenzhen and seeing the factories where some of my electronics came from. I’d like to see the single-product cities too: faucet city, button city, card city, necktie city, toilet city. The price and cost competition within these cities must be intense.

By: Kevin K.

Kevin K. — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:32:07 +0000

Shenzhen has had an incredible growth spurt to say the least. From a fishing village to an instant metropolis? Those things just don’t happen very often. In a way it sounds as though the city is a giant sandbox — a playground for architects, businessmen, and politicians. The combination of skyscrapers and older villages — as Nicolai Ouroussoff described it — allows for a stark dichotomy (and incredible density) to this growing city. But what will happen when growth stops? What then will the skyline look like and who will be living in this city of the future? I have not traveled a whole lot in my life, but Shenzhen looks like a unique destination I look forward to experiencing.