MArch course proposal CUHK Doreen Heng LIU Fall 2009 & Spring 2010

The Chinese University of Hong Kong School of Architecture 2009-10 Term 1+2 MArch Joint Research Seminar & Design Studio Proposal Proposed by: Doreen Heng LIU

Post Generic City: The Case of Hua Qiang-Bei , - A Joint Research Seminar & Design Studio Proposal on Urban Regeneration

Dr. Joan BUSQUETS Martin Bucksbaum Professor in Practice of Urban Design and Planning Graduate School of Design, Harvard University & Dr. Doreen Heng LIU Adjunct Assistant Professor School of Architecture, the Chinese University of Hong Kong

SEMINAR & STUDIO PROPOSAL

Keywords: two terms - reseach based urban design studio architecture & urban design: industrial/Urban regeneration observation, investigation & speculations

Site: Hua Qiang-Bei Road(HQB) locates in area in (also named Shangbu Area). The design of area is 930 meter from south to north in length. Taking Huaqiangbei Road as the central axis, this consultation study area is 45 hectares from Zhonghang Road and the 8th Road at west to the Huafabei Road at east, from Hongli Road at north to Shennanzhong Road at south. And the research improvement area is 22 hectares.

Background: (an excerpt from the Shenzhen Planning Bureau document)

Historical development – Huaqiangbei Road emerged as Shangbu Industry Area was established in the middle of 1980s and has gradaully developed into an important transportation artery within Shangbu Industry Area. SEG Electronics Market Shenzhen set up in 1988 has driven the scale development of professioal electronic marekts along Huaqiangbei Road. In 1994, the opening of Wanjia Department Store promoted the property appreciation and popularity in Huaqiangbei Road, Women’s World, Shenzhen XDH Costume City and other business faiclites subsequently were set up in Huaqiangbei Road. In 1998 and 2004, Shenzhen Municipal Peoples’ Government and the People’s Government of Futian District carreid out environment improvement on Huaqiangbei Road over two stages, which updated the image of Huaqiangbei commercial street and further fuel the commercial energy of Huaqiangbei Road. As a comprehensive commercial street transforming from an old industry area, through over twenty years of gradual functional evolvement, Huaqiangbei Road is uniquely characterized of the following:

1 MArch course proposal CUHK Doreen Heng LIU Fall 2009 & Spring 2010

The Chinese Top One Electronic-sales Street— There are SEG Electronics Market Shenzhen, Huaqiang electronics World, Duhui Electronics City, Yuanwang digital Mall, New-Asia Electronics City, Saibo Hongda digital Plaza and other over twenty professional electroinc marketplace along Huaqiangbei Road. The electronic market nearly occupies 400,000 square meters. There are approximately 30,000 operators of electronic products, whose operation scopes cover electronic components, computer and digital products, mobile phone and various telecommunication products as well as related matching products. The annual turnover of electronic products approximatley reaches 30.00 billion Yuan. As the largest distributing center of electronic and inforamiton products in and even in Asia, Huaqiangbei is ranked the first place in terms of the turnover of electronic products, operation area of professional electronic market and varieties of electronic products among the rivals in China. In October 2008, China Electronic Chamber of Commerce formlay awarded the title of “The Chinese Top One Electronic-sales Street” to Huaqiangbei commercial street, which solidifies the leading position of Huaqiangbei in the electronic industry in China and enhances Huaqiangbei Road to develop itself to the high-end and international direction.

Highest occupant density —— The practitioners along Huaqiangbei Road are nearly 130,000 with average daily traffic of 600,000 people and a peak of 800,000 in weekend or holiday. Huaqiangbei Road is the commercial street with the highest occupant density in Shenzhen and is simialr to Nanjing Road in Shanghai, which is another famous “The First Commercial Street in China”.

Multi-functional operation —— Besides the features of electronic products, there are department stores, costume, dining and beverage, living, culture & entertainment and other multiple-functional operation with business coverage of nearly 60%. Huaqiangbei has developed into a one-station consumption place integrating shopping, dining & beverage and entertainment, the most mature commercial center in Shenzhen with densest commercial atmosphere and a commercial street with highest commercial density in China.

With the most congested traffic ——Huaqiangbei Road, in one aspect, is the significant transportation hinge connecting three express roads in Shenzhen, Beihuan Road, and Binhe Road of Shenzhen. In the other aspect, it is a major regional commercial space. Because the systematic space pattern of an old industry area and the supporting infrastructure updating is lagged behind the demands of Shenzhen, the traffic in Huaqiangbei Road is very congested and that causes lots of serious traffic problems,for example, human and vehicle cutting in, human and cargo truck mixing together and the high-frequency of bus operation. Huaqiangbei Road is often overloaded and the crossroad transportation contorl is nearly invalid. The issue of transportation has become the most serious bottleneck restricting the sustainable development of Huaqiangbei Area.

With densest metro lines—There are totally four lines of metro constructed or under construction which are parallel or vertical with Huaqiangbei Road, No. 1 Metro Line (constructed), No. 2 Metro Line and No. 3 Metro Line (under construction and put into operation in 2011) and No. 7 Metrol Line (Under plan and begin construction after 2011), which equip Huaqiangbei Road with the densest metro lines only behind to the center of Shenzhen.

Stage of urban public life —— Huaqiangbei Area, the important space for Shenzhen citizens to feel and experience urban public life by means of its plentiful functions and huge amount of inforamtion, takes on tremendous appeal and inclusion. Huaqiangbei Area is not only an important display platform for enterprises, focus of media, but also a show stage of individuals.

Issues:

Mixing both high-end and wholesale shopping activities at the HQB area has not only created a great economic boom to the Futian disctrict in the past 30 years, but also generated an increasing stress of density of people and different patterns of traffic at that particualr area. With a careful consideration of the value of different co-existence above, the district governement would like to take an opportunity of subway construction to enter a new round of urban regeneration. A new urban design proposal is expected and is able to address the following issues:

1. preserve the vitality of the area, and meanwhile upgrade its ultimate image; 2. ease the traffic problem and re-organize different patterns of traffic; 3. explore and utilize the vertical spatial capacity, and infrastructure; 4. improvement of the public space, and etc.

Course format: with the given complexity of the project, there are two stages of the project development:

2 MArch course proposal CUHK Doreen Heng LIU Fall 2009 & Spring 2010

Fall 2009 Arc5701R: Research Elective - Spring 2010 Joint Studio Prep Course;

Students who will take this elective are requested to enroll in Term Two joint studio with GSD, offered by the same faculty. This elective will serve as a prep research course to explore the interest and define the premise for the later design studio, but not particularly specific, it is rather general and broad. The focus is composed of three parts:

Contextual study 1: theory & design on urbanism - Readings, lectures & case presentations

Contextual study 2: urban study in location & specificity 1) guest lectures & readings on Shenzhen/Hong Kong/the PRD 2) presentation & report: field study & speculations on Mongkok, Hong Kong.

Spring 2010 G9: Design Studio: Urban Regeneration-the case of HQB Students who have taken the elective in term One will continue to take the course.

RESEARCH study: time line – economic/political (macro/micro)/ block development:land use_function_transportation_ownership presentation: Block Program - to define urban culture of hybrid: business-office-hotel-residential-public program(parking/public space/facility)-infrastructure; - to define FAR & density/area, etc. DESIGN: Urban Design: group project base on the above block program, 5 students in two 2-3 groups to study 4 blocks in 3 combinations and propose urban design proposals:

Architectural Design: individual project Choosing one urban design proposal to develop further the architectural quality of the block. 2 blocks: 5 building parcels

Schedule Mo January 11 Arrangement of Studio Space – Introduction the Project

Thu January 14 Site Visit

Mo January 18 Research Methodology

Fri January 22 Conference: NY–HK Vertical Density The Public Dimension Mo January 25 Presentation Research 1

Mo February 1 Presentation Program 1 + Research 2

Mo February 8 Final Presentation: Program + Research & Start the Group Design in Block Mo February 15 Chinese New Year

Mo February 22 Start GSD / CUHK /UPDIS joint workshop Guest Lectures at UPDIS, Shenzhen

3 MArch course proposal CUHK Doreen Heng LIU Fall 2009 & Spring 2010 Thu February 25 GSD Prof. Joan Busquets Lecture on Urbanism at CUHK Sat February 27 Presentation: Group Project on Block & End of the Workshop

Mo March 1 Review: Workshop and Group Project

Mo March 8 Mid term review – Group Project on Block & Start the Individual Design Project

Mo March 15 Individual design project

Mo March 22 Presentation: Individual design project

Mo March 29 Individual design project

Thu April 1 Review Final Layout - Individual design project

Mo April 5 Ching Ming Festival

Mo April 12 Individual design project Course evaluation

Fri April 23 Final Presentation May Joint Final Review at GSD

Student Study Trip Itinerary& Forum*

Trip One: Feb 22-27. 2009 GSD & CUHK joint research review and design workshop - Urban Forum, Shenzhen, China co-organized with Urban Planning & Design Institute of Shenzhen (UPDIS)

Trip Two: May 2009 GSD & CUHK joint studio review, GSD, USA * The shown trips are required as joint events with GSD faculty and students.

11 JAN, 2010 DRAFT

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