Introduction: Present Huanggang
Huanggang is known as one of
the urban villages in Shenzhen with a solid development planning and urban
modernization located in Futian district close to the border of Hongkong.
Nowadays, Huanggang is a
self-governing village authorized by the local government as a land for
migrant laborers. The population
has grown to the maximum density along with the rapid development of its
urbanization since 1990s. The village also presents as a hybrid community
through a combination of developed and undeveloped areas with more potential in
growths of economics, community, and environment. Throughout the past decades,
the idea of “Collectivism” is concerned as one of the significant factors and
characteristics of Huanggang’s growth. It emphasizes the idea of “home”
visually through the relationship between the local government and individuals.
For this reason, the project intends to manifest the possible ideal of
Huanggang in the future in which it maintains the original characteristics through
the collaboration between Village Company (Local Government), Young Generation
(Developers), Investors (Corporations), and Villagers (community), starting
from a large scale of urbanity to an individual unit.
Hypothesis
Huanggang village is predictively
proposed to be “a developed village presented in a form of a strong utopian
community maintaining the village’s main characteristics of collectivism.” Regarding
the idea of sustainability, this collective community can be established with
the balance of social, economics, and environment although the village’s
urbanization changes through time. Huanggang village’s original context basically presents
with a high potential of future development. By analysis through the role of
the local government towards the idea of sustainability in order to create the
possible conclusion for the future development, the following policies are
introduced as the approaches for the future village:
• Create a
positive propaganda to change the villager’s perspective in order to gain
support in the idea of redevelopment
or development of the original urban village.
• Promote the
village’s value to both local and external investors to support the development
in service and amenities for community.
• Promote the
village’s environment as the investing factors to gain funds for services and
amenities improvement
• Provide new
employment for migrants in other cities to promote increasing number of
population and to be able to set the
standard of working payment
• Organize both private and public areas to
provide the most suitable and beneficial to every class of inhabitants.
These
approaches initially present through the top down design of architecture. The
new village planning is introduced as an ideal form of urbanization from the
government’s interest propagating to the community. This new blueprint for the
future development is created considering through the reorganization of land
uses and pedestrian system in order to enhance economics, society, and
environment. The new village planning, as a result, presents the dynamic
process of what can be possible developed in order to maintain collectivism
along with the improvement of the village’s sustainability.
Argument:
Huanggang Observation
Sense
of collectivism – Huanggang social relationship
The
observation in Huanggang village is used as an argument to prove the idea of
collectivism. These photographs emphasize the sense of collectivism through different
social relationships of each character within the village.
Photograph 1:
Combination of old and new (Present vs. Future)
- Huanggang
is an experimental typology of urbanization. The coexistence between old areas
with dense organisation of handshake buildings and new developed areas with
modern high-rise buildings both manifest collectivism through the
corporatisation of village development as well as the synergy between its
communities. The village also represents innovative development, portraying the
trace of transition between present and future.
Photograph 2:
Individual interaction (People vs. People à
Collectivism Vs. Individualism)
- To
live in Huanggang is to live in a collective community amongst its people. The
idea of individuality clearly portrays throughout the dense area of the
village. The surrounding of handshake buildings is concerned as the main
subject for creating the ability of a strong human interaction. The individual
activities, therefore, are not being excluded from the society, but being
interactive with pass-by people in the neighborhood throughout the
architectural influence. The girl sitting on the motorcycle represents the
individuality among the public space. The pass-by observant, a person whom was
taking her photograph, represents another individuality that literally caused
an interaction with the girl when she turned to look at what the observant was
doing. The individual observation between each other immediately existed in the
middle of the handshake building’s alley. The space eventually causes collectivism
through the interaction and relationship between individuals.
-
Photograph 3:
Social Mechanism (People + Activities vs. Space)
- Common spaces are promoted by the
government throughout the area of Huanggang in order to present the idea of
community and unified society. These spaces are occupied by groups of people
with various ages and activities, performing the concept of sharing and
interaction. The result turns out to the impact of collectivism portrayed how
people live and perceive each other. These common spaces allow exchanges
between people in which they learn, share, experience, and spend time together.
The villagers use these spaces to perceive similar perspective in collective
activities, while different perception is given to the observant, feeling as an
outsider, who questions towards different behaviors and unexpected uses within
the space.
Photograph 4:
Collective Instrument (People Vs. Government: Corporatisation and Power)
Photograph 5:
Life under the observation (People Vs. Political framework à
Proximity and Privacy)
- Life in Huanggang is the consequence of an observation under the
political framework. CCTV network is currently used as the technological power
of the government to organize and enhance the community in collective notion.
This results in how people’s awareness of being observed is raised, while the
collective protection is constantly provided. Referring to the main objective
of the local government, the operation of this political
framework takes the main role of providing the relationship between the
government’s control and people, aiming to maintain the notion of collectivism and
sustainability within the village. The idea of CCTV network will be further
developed into a better infrastructure which proposes more than the concept of
security. Besides, it will facilitate as the collective instrument that
reframes proximity between the government and people, allowing the flexibility
of having their own privacy under the given security.
