Sean Chiao - Urban Innovation in China

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Urban Design and Networked Development 1

When we think of “Innovation”,We tend to think it means progress in …- Technology;

- Product design and development.

2Partnership for Urban Innovation

In China, urban innovation still exists in the “development” phase. The primary focus is on …

… Infrastructural development;

… Iconic Building;

… Size.

Partnership for Urban Innovation

By 2025, China will have …- 8 megacities with more than 10 million residents;- 15 cities with 5-10 million residents;- Over 5 billion square-meters of roads added;- 170 mass-transit systems built;- More than 40 billion square meters of floor space

built;- 50,000 skyscrapers of above 30 stories planned;- By 2015, 260 airports (in 2005,135 civil-

scheduled-flight airports in 133 cities);- Around 70% urban residents (now 47%)

China’s 4 trillion-yuan stimulus fund, unveiled in November 2008 to shore up the effects of the global recession on the Chinese economy,has deepened the notion thatInnovation = Physical Growth.

The 4-trillion yuan has been spent on …- 445 kilometers of expressway; - 20,000 kilometers of roads;- 254 rural electricity substations;- 30,000 kilometers of power lines;- 100,000 square meters of passenger airport terminals;- 176 high-tech industrialization projects;- 210,000 units of low-income housing; another

650,000 unit under construction.

Current Equation

Government investment

More roads, more power, more airport terminals, more

hi-tech parks

Faster and greater urbanization

Better City, Better Life

That is a necessary phase of China’s development…

…but…

…We must start thinking about longer-term priorities

“E-nnovation” addresses:

- Ecology;- Environment;- Evolution;- Economics.

It is…“Multi-dimensional” and “Holistic”.

China must embrace “e-nnovation”

Why e-nnovation?Because the current development approach, with its focus on mega-cities and mega-structures, is problematic.

It yields:- Waste, pollution, over-population and under-housing, traffic and

rail congestion, healthcare and power shortages;- Uneven urbanization: some regions will continue their

development, leaving other regions even more under-resourced and under-inhabited

- Worsening rich-poor divide.

It’s critical for China to embrace “holistic” development that integrates infrastructural expansion with environmental, ecological, cultural, and social development.

We are already seeing pockets of new thinking across the country.

Suzhou Jinji LakeMaster Planning & Urban Design

- 70 Km2 New Town Development Started from 1993 between China and Singapore Government.

- Shoreline decked with parks, public squares, promenades, boardwalks, cafes, tea houses, fishing piers; viewing platforms; etc

- Design intent was not to mimic Suzhou’s historic gardens but to infuse suburban landscape with modern touches

- Idea was to transform the public space into a destination for the local community; we recast the old Chinese notion of open spaces as monuments into spaces for public participation.

- Jinji Lake now a magnet for international investors in Suzhou

Shanghai Chemical Industrial Park (SCIP)Natural Wastewater Treatment System

- AECOM was lead designer for a 74-acre natural wastewater treatment system for treating over 6-million gallons per day of partially treated industrial wastewater;

- Polished water is discharged into Hangzhou Bay;

- The water system has become a recreational park for local residents as well as a wildlife habitat;

- Plan includes a wetland research center for academics in the Greater Shanghai area;

- A model project for wetland parks across China.

Tianjin Hai RiverMaster Plan and Embankment Redevelopment

- AECOM regenerated more than 20 km of the Hai River;

- Design vision was to link people to their water.

- Subtle palettes were chosen to emphasize Tianjin’s modernity and stressed quality construction to instill pride in local residents for their waterfront

- Immediate impact to Tianjin seen: 30,000 new homes, retail centers and cultural facilities sprang up.

Taiyuan Yingze BoulevardStreetscape Redevelopment

- Yingze Boulevard was built in 1955 and was an iconic artery of Taiyuan but became outmoded over the years; Taiyuan also was facing regeneration issues;

- 17-meter high pole-lights and tree forms balance the scale of the vehicular road;

- AECOM redesigned the boulevard using local architectural style and materials;

- Design interplays natural with man-made; modern with the past.

e-nnovation is about:

ContextContent

Community“Place making”

e-nnovation must enhance:- Community value;- Cultural/Design value;- Historical value;- Ecological value

Those values do not conflict with or reduce Economic Value. Holistic innovation, in fact, enhances economic value: - Local populations are revived;- New homes are built;- Local businesses emerge;- Land values rise;

What’s the future of urban innovation in China?Awareness of holistic planning and development is only beginning –but it’s growing.

from innovation to e-nnovation:Building our Better Cities