Supergrid and Superblock
Supergrid and Superblock

Author: Xiaofei Chen

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-10-03

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1000737314

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In this superbly illustrated book Xiaofei Chen presents the first analysis in English of a ubiquitous East Asian urban phenomenon: the supergrid and superblock urban structure. The book opens with an introductory essay by Barrie Shelton in which he sets the scene for what is to follow, emphasizing how alien this structure was to Western urban design culture where radial patterns of development were the norm. Then, in her first chapter, Chen explains the make-up of the supergrid and superblock urban structure and its contrasting Chinese and Japanese forms. In the following three chapters she digs deep into the history, cultural origins, and underlying design philosophy of the supergrid and superblock to show how, under different cultural influences, the model has developed into two distinct forms. Two further chapters (5 and 6) provide detailed analysis of two sample superblocks in China (in Xi’an and Nanjing) and two in Japan (in Kyoto and Osaka) to reveal the relative advantages and disadvantages of how the structure is manifest in the two countries. In her conclusion she discusses her findings to show how and why the supergrid and superblock structure is a valuable urban design model which, with regional adjustments, can be used effectively in cities other than those of East Asia.

Chinese Urban Planning and Construction
Chinese Urban Planning and Construction

Author: Lanchun Bian

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-05-29

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 3030655628

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This volume introduces and discusses the achievements and mechanisms of urban planning and construction in China from multiple professional perspectives, covering practices and processes ranging from ancient times to the present day. The book has 14 chapters, each addressing a specific Chinese urban planning and construction topic with examples and applications in various cities and regions, and each providing an all-around analysis of Chinese urban development issues at different scales, including government administrations, planning progresses, urban investments, social impacts and construction models. The book provides a comprehensive overview of urban planning and construction in China, especially its successful experiences in the historical period and modern era, which will greatly benefit scholars and readers who are interested in China, as well as urban planners, architects and historians. The book is organized into 4 main parts. Part 1 focuses on "historical wisdom" to summarize ancient Chinese efforts to cope with nature and the environment. It interprets the unique wisdom of ancient Chinese cities related to regional design, water conservancy system, and urban districts. Part 2 presents the “transformation" of urban planning in China by learning from both the traditional value and western experiences based on several cases, such as the spatial development of Beijing and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei capital region, the preservation of Qingdao city, the urban community development and regeneration in Chongqing city. Part 3 explores the "green and eco-city" by looking towards the future, illustrating Chinese practices and efforts to build more sustainable cities, such as green and low-carbon city construction in Wuhan, healthy city planning and eco-cities construction in China. Part 4 prospects the “modern miracles” brought forth by technological innovation and economic growth, and introduces the newest planning trends in China, such as the E-commerce Taobao villages in China and the innovation districts in Beijing. It also explains the driving force of the "growth machine" of Suzhou city.

Women Reclaiming the City
Women Reclaiming the City

Author: Tigran Haas

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2023-04-04

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 1538162660

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The originality of Women Reclaiming the City lies not only in the variety of themes being presented, but also in the variety of all these different highly respected women researchers. This book is the first in which current societal themes revolving around urbanism, architecture, and city planning are put forth solely through female perspectives. It reveals the importance of having female lenses on certain societal debates. Twenty-five leading female urban scholars draw on principles, concepts, and positions that are foundational to other frameworks and fields—specifically, critical studies, indigenous and ethnic studies, postcolonial theory, queer theory, feminist theory, progressive urban theory, social ecology, urban planning and design, architecture, urban economics and urban social geography, landscape urbanism, new urbanism, heritage management and urbanism, political ecology, and cultural studies— to present alternatives to the current classical theories and conceptualizations that have failed to engage a truly intersectional analysis of dominant city and urban discourses, policies, and practices. The book is intended for scholars of urban studies, policy makers, and city planning professionals.

Critical Perspectives on Suburban Infrastructures
Critical Perspectives on Suburban Infrastructures

Author: Pierre Filion

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2019-05-06

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 1487531230

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Most new urban growth takes place in the suburbs; consequently, infrastructures are in a constant state of playing catch-up, creating repeated infrastructure crises in these peripheries. However, the push to address the tensions stemming from this rapid growth also allow the suburbs to be a major source of urban innovation. Taking a critical social science perspective to identify political, economic, social, and environmental issues related to suburban infrastructures, this book highlights the similarities and differences between suburban infrastructure conditions encountered in the Global North and Global South. Adopting an international approach grounded in case studies from three continents, this book discusses infrastructure issues within different suburban and societal contexts: low-density infrastructure-rich Global North suburban areas, rapidly developing Chinese suburbs, and the deeply socially stratified suburbs of poor Global South countries. Despite stark differences between types of suburbs, there are features common to all suburban areas irrespective of their location, and similarities in the infrastructure issues confronting these different categories of suburbs.

Beijing
Beijing

Author: Qian Guo

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2020-03-17

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13:

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This comprehensive volume examines contemporary life and history in Beijing, covering such topics as culture, politics, economics, crime, security, the environment, and more. While it is not China's most populated city, Beijing serves an important role as the political and cultural capital of the country. This volume examines Beijing's long history, contemporary society, and current challenges the city faces as we move further into the 21st century. Geared toward high school readers, undergraduates, and general readers interested in learning about Beijing, this volume consists of 12 narrative chapters focused on geography, history, and culture. Coverage includes location, people, history, politics, economy, environment and sustainability, local crime and violence, security issues, natural hazards and emergency management, culture and lifestyle, popular culture, and the future. "Life in the City" sidebars feature interviews and memories transcribed by people who are from, lived in, or traveled through Beijing, while other sidebars offer cultural fun facts and travel tips. This volume is the perfect read for anyone looking to get a better idea of what life is like in Beijing and how its culture has arrived at this point.

Modern City Revisited
Modern City Revisited

Author: Thomas Deckker

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2005-08-12

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 1135802491

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The supposed rationality of the urban planning of the Modern Movement encompassed a variety of attitudes towards history, technology and culture, from the vision of Berlin as an American metropolis, through the dispute between the urbanists and disurbanists in the Soviet Union to the technocratic and austere vision of Le Corbusier. After the Second World War, architects attempted to reconcile these utopian visions to the practical problems of constructing - or reconstructing - urban environments, from Piero Bottoni at the Quartiere Trienale 8 in Milan in 1951 to Lucio Costa at Bras'lia in 1957. In the 1970s, the collapse of Modernism brought about universial condemnation of Modern urbanism; urban planning,and rationality itself, were thrown into doubt. However, such a wholesale condemnation hides the complex realities underlying these Modern cities. The contributors define some of the theoretical foundations of Modern urban planning, and reassess the successes and the failures of the built results. The book ends with contrasting views of the inheritance of Modern urbanism in the United States and the Netherlands.

Olympic Cities
Olympic Cities

Author: John Gold

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-04-09

Total Pages: 594

ISBN-13: 1040021425

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The first edition of Olympic Cities, published in 2007, provided a pioneering overview of the changing relationship between cities and the modern Olympic Games. This substantially revised and much enlarged fourth edition builds on the success of its predecessors. The first of its three parts provides overviews of the urban legacy of the four component Olympic festivals: the Summer Games; Winter Games; Cultural Olympiads; and the Paralympics. The second part comprises systematic surveys of six key aspects of activity involved in staging the Olympics and Paralympics: finance; sustainability; the creation of Olympic Villages; security; urban regeneration; and tourism. The final part consists of ten chronologically arranged portraits of host cities from 1960 to 2032, with complete coverage of the Summer Games of the twenty-first century. As controversy over the growing size and expense of the Olympics, with associated issues of democratic accountability and legacy, continues unabated, this book’s incisive and timely assessment of the Games’ development and the complex agendas that host cities attach to the event will be essential reading for a wide audience. This will include not just urban and sports historians, urban geographers, event managers, and city planners, but also anyone with an interest in the staging of mega-events and concerned with building a better understanding of the relationship between cities, sport, and culture.

The Suburban Land Question
The Suburban Land Question

Author: Richard Harris

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2018-04-13

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 1442620633

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As part of the urbanization process, suburban development involves the conversion of rural land to urban use. When discussing the suburbs, most writers focus on particular countries in the northern hemisphere, implying that patterns and processes elsewhere are fundamentally different. The purpose of The Suburban Land Question is to identify the common elements of suburban development, focusing on issues associated with the scale and pace of rapid urbanization around the world. Editors Richard Harris and Ute Lehrer and a diverse group of contributors draw on a variety of sources, including official data, planning documents, newspapers, interviews, photographs, and field observations to explore the pattern, process, and planning of suburban land development. Featuring case studies from major world regions, including China, India, Latin America, South Africa, as well as France, Austria, the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada, the volume identifies and discusses the peculiarly transitional character of suburban land. In addition to place and time, The Suburban Land Question addresses the many elements that distinguish land development in urban fringe areas, including economy, social infrastructure, and legality.

Plug-Ins
Plug-Ins

Author: Ezio Manzini

Publisher: Actar D, Inc.

Published: 2022-11-07

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 1638400954

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This book’s central argument is that plug-ins, situated design outcomes that aim to enrich the complex system of the city and expand its potentialities, are a solid yet supple conceptual framework for rethinking how design can be a key agent in city making. This book showcases some of the projects developed by Elisava’s Design for City Making Research Lab, a research institute that investigates the role of design in the material and social construction of our habitats, focusing on spatiality, temporality, interactions, meaning, citizen engagement and social impact. Projects by students, professors and researchers, in collaboration with multiple partners including the public administration, NGOs, industry and academy, articulate the concept of design as plug-ins as the core idea of this book. This notion of plug-ins results from a renewed approach to how design can be a key agent in city making. Given that the city is a system of relationships, design for city making means understanding, reinforcing and articulating this network. We posit plug-ins as situated design outcomes that aim to enrich the complex system of the city and expand its potentialities. This book’s central argument is that plug-ins are a solid yet supple conceptual framework for rethinking design’s agency in the city – the main aim of Elisava’s Design for City Making Research Lab. With Contributions of Ruedi Baur, Julia Benini, Josep Bohigas, David Bravo, Adrià Carbonell, Tomás Díez, Danae Esparza, Ramon Faura, Tona Monjo, Salvador Rueda, Oscar Tomico, Lluís Torrens, Manuela Valtchanova