Notes brainstorm session DAAN

article house prices Nanchong http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=480266&type=Business

Some areal pics http://www.magic-city-news.com/Community_5/Photo_of_the_Day_Nanchong_city_Sichuan_from_the_Air15011.shtml

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MARS ARCHITECTS / ECOCITY DESIGN
BRAINSTORM SESSIONS, AUGUST 2011

ECOCITY SESSION I BASIC CONCEPT
1 AUGUST 2011

Brief: How to develop a concept for the generic Chinese eco city?
Startpoint of thinking: No New Cities!

Because of all different sorts of arguments (China needs its open space, new towns don’t work, densification instead of sprawl etc) we choose for the strategy of urban infill in industrial areas of existing cities. As a concrete example, we look at the city of Nanchong, Sichuan province.

How to deal with the existing?
We take the following steps:

1. Micromapping:

Mapping of the existing, then development of preservation strategy.
What do we want to preserve?

- Villages in City?
- Dormitories?
- Nature?
- Factories?
- …?

2. Relocating / densifying / streamlining Industry

Densification means stacking. What industries can be stacked?

3. Implosion strategy

Instead of a split city model we lean towards a classical city that is most dense in its physical
centre and less dense at the fringes.

How to introduce a new network? There are different options:

a. superimpose- question is raised of top-down vs bottom-up
b. develop a catalogue of different blocks that can be introduced over time!

4. Networks
The network consists of two parts:

Eco-infrastructures:

- car, train
- waste
- sewage
- electricity
- wifi
- smart grid
- …

Eco-corridor

- ecology
- people
- animals
- water

The network should work as a combination of nerves and vains.

Program
Question is also how to program these new parts of cities.
We can program it over time; a certain percentage could be specifically dedicated, and a certain percentage could be surplus.

SPARE SPACE STRATEGY

T1: x1 m2 specific, y1 m2 surplus
T2: x2 m2 specific, y2 m2 surplus
T3: x3 m2 specific, y3 m2 surplus

Grid design

How to design the grid? The edges of the grid should be defined. By creating soft edges, the
design can develop overtime. Moreover, here the one network can overtake the other.

Questions for following sessions:

- How to make it in a model that is generic?
- How does the model work with scalability?
- What is the ecozone, what does it do?
- What are the sizes of the plots?
- Do you define specific elements per ‘island’ / plot?
- What can the water structure do? It will be very specific per city, depending on geographic conditions.

ECOCITY SESSION II TRAFFIC / TYPOLOGIES

4 AUGUST 2011
General question: diversity

how to not-design (it is a framework!)

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Traffic
The cars (over time)
From car > no car??

Traffic goals daily versus weekly / monthly

- groceries
- school / work
- shopping (weekend/entertainment)
- recreation

Model
(think NY vs LA, rich vs poor, urban vs rural) defined by several parameters:

- cultural (urban, identity)
- market
- effectiveness / comfort

Investigate parameters:
- Level of investment for public transport vs income level per city
- Density of urban fabric (FUR) vs type of transportation used

Scale
Different types of transportation per scale

- whole city lightrail / subway / S bahn etc
- district
- neighbourhood

Top down vs Bottom up:

Danwei Hybrid Diversified > No traffic Public + car Car
Top down state Market > Compound >> CBD vice versa car traffic (think HK peak >> Central through SoHo)

Studies:
Etienne : Traffic systems
Daan : Typologies
Genghis : Urban patterns
Lucas : Water structures
Base assumption transport

1. Hybrid system
- scale
- social strata
(expand over time)

2. Car will pertain
(EV, power stations, smart grids)

3. Private / Public transport

4. CN cities lack of diversity

5. Needs
daily, weekly, monthly etc

Shell: Multinodal hubs

Transportation Oriented Development (TOD) Vs.:
Small scale networks
Flexible modalities
Flexible nodes
(think HK mini bus system)

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ECOCITY BRAINSTORM
SATURDAY 6 AUGUST

Ecodisney
- privately run / owned
- themed
- retro oriented
- ride

Levittown
- single homes
- prefab / light
- rural development

Eco Polis
- Ito
- Treehouse

Wilde Wonen
- private initiative
- bottom up

Hong Kong
- lines with (bus) stops / nodes at compounds

3D City
- Shop + park
- Sky gardens + terraces

Eco Compounds
- car oriented drive-in apartments

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ECOCITY SESSION III THE GRID
8 AUGUST 2011

¥ = T2 > money is the driver behind technological eco solutions (subways, smart grids etc)
Eco- Infrastructure = vains
Eco-corridors = lymphs
Corridors = framework (that incorporate technology)

In the same metaphors, one could say:
- blood = traffic
- lymph = remediation
- nerve = information

In between this whole framework: (spatial) envelopes.

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The total area of the city of Nanchong is 40 sqkm, of which 20sqkm is extensions and industrial zones.
We could conclude that of that 20 sqkm, 15 sqkm should be appointed for redevelopment by our strategy.
This 15km2 should contain roughly 500,000 people, based on a density of 25.000 people /sq km.

(Paris 21K/sqkm, Manhattan 27K/sqkm, Shanghai 30K/sqkm)

The extension in the south has a size of roughly 4sqkm. Breakdown:

0.3 sqkm built industrial area
0.145 sqkm res..
total: 0.445 sqkm

left over: 3,5 sqkm, so we can add 75,000 people here.

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Question is how to make the connection between river and mountains, and how to develop it onto a network.
The Manhattan grid is used as a testcase, for two reasons:

- size / scalability
- lifestyle

Manhattan is basically attractive because of its lifestyle; the city doesn’t provide any private life, so everything is public.
the grid can contain any form of life; private (residences) but especially public (museums, concert halls, shops, restaurants) etc.

turns out that the size of the existing industrial blocks is roughly 7 times the size of 1 Manhattan block.

But then: only superimposing the Manhattan grid is a bit boring, a bit disappointing… We can superimpose it on the existing, and then transform it .. ?

ECOCITY SESSION IV GROWTH MODEL
11 AUGUST 2011

Kick off: Christopher Alexander with formula about urban structure.
Design: let’s get rid of the orthogonal; try to soften roads, edges.

Eco envelope:
- hierarchy
- lineairity
- organic
- consistent over scale

Diversity of programs
Soft grids
Sun (and other natural conditions?) as requirements

Growth model of city.

Discussion: monocentric or polycentric? Conclusion Nev: Under 5 million people aiming for monocentrality

FUR= monocentric approach

Program:
- Infra
- commercial
- offices (commercial / govt)
- schools
- universities
- civic (incl health care)
- public space
- parking

Question: how do these programs relate to green space.

Develop their relation to road, water and green over time