Leaving a Path for Hubei Independent Research Series Recruitment
“The City by My Side”
Independent Research Series Recruitment:
Leaving a Path for Hubei
Tumu Urban Rural InstituteWhat has been going on in Hubei Village?
Timeline of important events about Hubei
（http://www.retumu.org/wordpress/?p=660）
The difficulties of urban renovation that Hubei represents
Hubei’s identities
Hubei 120 Public Action
Why do we need an independent research?
Research Structure of “Leaving a Path for Hubei”
We came up with a research structure that is consisted of seven topics that are interrelated and go on top of each other. We encourage interdisciplinary cooperations among participants. The research structure is to be revised progressively over the course of the research.
► Topic 1: Fundamental analysis of the site:
(human/environmental) Resources at present, evaluation
The traditional urban planing/ urban renew process often ignores the present human geographic patterns of the sites. Moreover, it can not correctly evaluate the pros and cons of the status quo from the perspective of solving existing urban problems. By fundamental researching on site, researchers will be able to recognize both the environmental and human resources from an open standpoint. As a result, a more objective structure of evaluation will be formed, to provide a sustainable model for further intervention(renovation, property development, preservation) of the site.
1.Research Mapping:
a. Geography, hydrology, climate, propagation; both the status quo and its evolution through history
b. Condition of its development and construction; both the status quo and its evolution through history
buildings, population, industries, culture, lifestyle, history…
2. Diagnosis and Analysis
a.What’s deficiency does the site have?
b.Infrastructure, public security, public health etc..
3. Evaluation of Values
a. What natural/environmental resources are still valuable, or can be restored?
such as topography, water systems, trees….
b. What humanistic resources are at present, and which ones of them are valuable or in need of further growth?
buildings, population, industries, culture, lifestyle, history…
Focuses:
1.How do we demonstrate the value(both practical and historical) of old buildings that are not on the list for preservation of cultural/historical relics?
2.How do we get a better sense of the systematic connection between environmental/societal significance of the site and the city as a whole?
► Topic 2: Societal Research of The Site：
Social impact assessment of urban regeneration
In order to think like a designer, one needs to realize what the users truly need. Normally, in the urban regeneration/planning process, architects and urban planners only care about objectives of their clients. However, the ultimate “users” of the city are the residents, especially the long-term residents of the sites, and they are often ignored. The majority of residents in Hubei are “transient population” who doesn't have a shenzhen “hukou” but works and lives in Shenzhen. Some of them have been living in Shenzhen for more than twenty years, but they are still more or less the “outsiders”, nor do they have any opportunities to speak up during the renewal projects. It’s important to add the process of social impact assessment, rather than just environmental evaluation alone. In order to really take the human experience into consideration,it is essential to evaluate the social impact of the the regeneration, before, ongoing, and after, so that the project will generate more positive social impact and be more sustainable.
1.Research Mapping:
a.Population associated with the site (residency, work, consuming), quantity and its composition
b.Distribution of activities (time/space) of population associated with the site
c. Necessities of population associated with the site, and their opinions on the regeneration project
2. Social Impact Assessment on Different Groups
a.Social impact assessment on population associated with the site
b.Evaluate social impact on the population associated with the site, especially those who are forced to relocate, regarding to the regeneration project
c.Social impact assessment on new-comers and old residents after the regeneration project
3. Conclusion: Social Impact Assessment on Urban Renewal Projects
a.What are the negative and positive social impacts of urban renewal projects?
b.How do we maximize the positive social impacts, and minimize the negative ones?
Focuses:
1.What are the pros and cons of low-end, low cost services in the city? Should we encourage them or not?
2.How do we use the tool of social impact assessment to evaluate urban renewal projects, so that they are essentially projects that will make the city a better place for all residents.
3.How do we balance and prioritize the different needs of people from all classes/groups, so that we have a healthy social ecology
► Topic 3: Research on Civic Infrastructures:
Impacts on the urban system of regeneration of the site
Traditionally, people who are in charge of the regeneration projects are often urban planners and architects, who have little knowledge of urban infrastructures and its connection with the urban system. Infrastructure includes all public facilities and profits, but it has never been researched systematically, or reorganized in a interdisciplinary fashion. Municipal infrastructures define the efficiency and capacity the city; they are often the roots of urban problems, and also a solution for solving these problems. This is a topic with huge potential, but it’s lack of interdisciplinary scholars and professionals.
1.Research Mapping:
a.Research on status quo of the urban system (municipal infrastructure, public facilities, operation of industries) of the site
b.Diagnosis of urban systematic problems of the site
2. Impacts of Urban Regeneration Projects on The Operation of The Urban System
a.What are the positive impacts?
b.What are the negative impacts?
3.Conclusion: Evaluation of Urban System Regarding to The Regeneration Projects
a.What are the inviolable parts(with respect to public benefits) of urban system on the site?
b.How do maximize the benefits of urban regeneration regarding to the urban system?
Focuses:
1.How do we interpret the balance of jobs and housing as an effective trait in urban planing? How do we keep it up during urban regeneration projects?
2.How can the urban system get rid of its tendency of path dependence, in order to innovate and achieve its maximum capacity?
► Topic 4: Research on Politics and Economy:
Politics of the space and analysis on spatial production
From the perspective of political economics, urban planing design/ urban renewal is a a method/process of the production and distribution of spatial benefits. During the spatial production process, how are the benefits created? How do the conflicts of interests of different parties (developers, land owners, renters, government, purchaser of the property, the public etc) interact with one another? In order to distribute spatial benefits properly and design a more convincing design, we need to understand all the points mentioned above.
1.Research Mapping:
a.Research the price of property/rent of the site
b.Comparison between price of property/rent and that of surrounding areas/average level of the city.
2.Cost of Urban Renewal Projects and Composition of Benefits:
a.How do the profiters(land owners, property owners,renters) interact. what’s the ratio of compensation?
b.Composition of the cost of urban renewal projects (land, compensation, construction..)
c.Output of urban renewal projects and evaluation on lost (sellable products, owned property value, industrial appraisement, quantity of employment, population capacity)?
3. Conclusion: Creation of Value and Its Distribution
a.Where is the enormous value created during the urban renewal projects from? who made it possible?
b.Is the distribution of benefits during the urban renewal process legit? Which part can we improve?
Focuses:
1.How do we make sure that both the compensation ratio of illegal properties of villagers and the final FAR are right?
2.Can we analyze urban renewal, as a process of space production, through the theories of Marx?
► Topic 5: Study on The Space:
Possibilities of compatible space/society/commercial activities
The research, as well as the final solution of the space are an extension and expression of the social, urban, political, economical impacts that are mentioned above. Study on the space has to be out of the “demolish-rebuild” box. It’s crucial to explore other more compatible models, that take the environment, pre-owned properties, commercial activities into consideration. We encourage solutions that are different form the traditional policy driven development designs.
1.Research Mapping
a.Evaluation and research on buildings and spaces of the site
b.Research and analysis on the results of planning of the site
2. Necessity and Possibility of A Compatible Model of Old and New, and Similar Cases
a.Why are we trying to find a development model that makes the old(history, practicality..) and the new convivial?
b.Possibility of a compatible model
c.Significance of a compatible development model
Focuses:
1.Can the new development projects and the old properties, as well as their role as security housing, be compatible with each other? Can we divide the two zones vertically?
2.Can we lower the standards such as sun-exposure time for indemnificatory housings?
► Topic 6: Research on Operation:
Explore the value of old village/historical building, and re-use of the space
The majority of public investment projects in China are designed and built without an operation/management team, or a content planning team either. This type of projects didn't follow the chronological steps of public investment projects, therefore, they have wasted tons of public sources. On the other hand, more and more cities started to curate events and activities to revive themselves. Indeed, we need to accumulate more experience and discussion, alongside with the research mentioned above, so that we can well explore the different potential aspects of operating Hubei Village, and further eliminate the doubts that developers and the government have for preserving old/historical properties.
1.Research Mapping:
a.Preserving spaces/buildings, and the distribution of commercial activities
b.Potential problems of preserving spaces/buidings
2.Preserving Spaces/Buildings: What Can Be Improved ?
a.Reorganize unique streets and allies
b.Micro-renewal of old houses and transitional regeneration of commercial activities
c.Rebuild of multi-stores buildings (housings) as a part of the government’s indemnificatory housing project.
3.Conclusion: Preserve The Original Properties and Make Them Government Owned, Authorized/Commissioned Indemnificatory Housings/ Low-income Communities.
a.Preserve the complementary qualities of the old properties and the new ones.
b.Preserved properties as a part of the urban infrastructures (indemnificatory housings, parking lots, devices..)
c.Preserved properties as the new “hip” area (old village shopping streets)
Focuses:
1.Should the operational ownership belong to the government? If so, how do we preserve the unique commercial activities operated by the renters?
2.How do we slow the process of gentrification of commercial activities and renters, of this particular zone?
►Topic 7: Research on Policy Making:
What policies, standards, and processes can be improved?
Based on the six previous steps of research and analysis, a lot of suggestions on improving the policies and process of urban renewal can be formed. These suggestions and questions need to be solidified to policies and fundamental designs, in order to solve upcoming, similar problems more effectively. We also encourage researches on policy making (micro, macro, intermediate) and related cases (in china/international), for a more comparative, extensive perspective.
1.Research:
a.How are public interests determined and protected through the urban renewal policies?
b.How do we define the rights of people who are involved in such process (especially the renters), and how do we make public participation b.possible, though these policies.
2.An Independent, Third-party Evaluation of The Urban Renewal Process:
a.Evaluation of urban/cultural resources/values
b.Social impact evaluation of urban renewal
c.Evaluation of impacts of urban renewal projects on the urban system
3.A System That Coordinates The Stakeholders, and Also Allows Public Participation
a.Public council system
b.A system that allows cultural relics that are not evaluated as valuable/ those that are favored by the public, to be preserved for further consideration
c.Regular publication of urban renewal designs/results; public workshops; public hearings
d.Policies that protect the rights of the renters
Focuses:
1.How do we protect and evaluate urban historical spaces/public benefits during the urban renewal/ commercial development process?
2.How do we make sure the the public and the stakeholders (especially the renters), have rights to know the truth, to talk, and to participate?
Outputs of “Leaving a Path for Hubei”
“Leaving a Path for Hubei” is a public research project that is started by professionals of urban planning and architecture, with the objective of improving the positive social impact of urban renewal. The preliminary plan is to gather the outputs of this project, for digital and papery publications, and apply for the 2017 UABB.
How to Participate in “Leaving a Path for Hubei”
“Leaving a Path for Hubei” is an independent, pro bono research project. We are not being founded at this moment, and in this way, we hope that every participant will be contributing independently.
There are three ways to join us:
1. As an open-sourced research scholar: If you participate in this research project as an open-sourced research scholar, it means that you are willing to share your research data/progress with other participants, and willing to spread your knowledge on the topic with other participants or the public. You will be able to have access to the database once you upload your own work. You will also be able to connect and form your own network of researchers with other participants. TMZS might be organizing lectures, workshops, panel discussions, and you will have the opportunities of sharing your works with the public and professionals of the field.
2. As a fellow student research scholar: If you participate in this research project as a fellow student research scholar, it means that you are interested and willing to participate in all sorts of activities of this project, such as investigations and researches, lectures, seminars, discussions and workshops, and networking with other fellow students.
3.As a volunteer: if you participate in this research project as a volunteer, it means that you will be translating works/research papers/datas etc. or/and manage the database.
How to Sign Up
Click the bottom if you are interested.This recruitment will be valid for a long periodof time. TMZS will contact everyone who has signed up through this link, andpublish the primary research plan on our WeChat subscription account and ourwebsites.(http://www.retumu.org/wordpress/?cat=130)
Primary research plan includes:
1. Schedule of public events/courses such as lectures and open classes
2. Possibilities of gather up the participants for a meeting to talkabout potential work-load distribution.
Join Us!