china intern report
TRANSCRIPT
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Summer Internship Report
China Academy of Urban Planning and DesignPSU-China Innovations in Urbanization Program
By Collin RoughtonOctober 2011
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Introduction
TheopportunitytoliveandworkinChinaforasummersparkedmyimagination,shiftedmyperspective,
andpushedmetothinkaboutthelocalandglobalimpactsofChinasunprecedentedrateofeconomicgrowth
and urbanization in fresh, tangible ways. The experience was both deeply disconcerting and highly
inspirational,andIwouldnttradeitformorepracticaldomesticworkexperienceifIcould.
Workexperience
Ispent8weeksasaninternatCAUPDsBeijingoffice.IwasassignedtotheHousingdepartment,where
IresearchedthehistoryofsocialhousingpolicyintheUnitedKingdomandproducedtwocasestudiesofresort
developmentsintheUnitedStates.
Thefirstfewweeksattheofficewerealittlefrustrating.Mysupervisoraskedmetoreadtwofull-lengthtextbooksandover1,500pagesofgovernmentdocumentsonBritishhousingpolicy,butneverquiteanswered
myquestionsaboutwhyCAUPDwasinterestedinBritishhousingpolicyorwhatkindofproductmightcome
frommyreadingassignment.Ifeltliketheywereunpreparedformyarrival,andingeneralwerentquitesure
whattodowithme.
I found out later that urban
planning in China is considered a
matterofnationalsecurity,sothereis
a reluctance to share detailed
informationaboutplanningprojectsto
foreigners. This, combined with the
languagebarrierandshortdurationof
ourstay,iswhymostofusendedup
developingcasestudiesonprojectsin
othercountriesthatmightberelevant
to things theyre working on. (Side
note:Ialsolearnedthatthe
transportationplannersareinaseparatebuildingacrossthestreet,whichisgoodforfutureinternstoknowif
theyre really hoping to focus on transportation. At least at the Beijing office, there is no transportation
planningdepartmentwithinCAUPD.)
Eventually I made a presentation to a handful of co-workers that attempted to relate some of the
lessonsfromBritishhousingpolicytoeffortsbytheChinesegovernmenttodevelopastablerealestatemarket
The office is super nice.
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andleveragehousingproductionasaneconomicdevelopmentstrategy.Ialsotriedtoconvincemyco-workers
that additional intervention was required in the housing market to increase affordability and avoid the
marginalizationof thepoor. Itturnedout tobea reallyinterestingprojectforme,andIlearnedagreatdeal
aboutatopicIpreviouslyknewnothingabout.
My second assignment was researching resort developments in Colorado andFlorida. Of particular
interesttomysupervisorwasalargehousingdevelopmentnorthwestofMiami,whichappearedinoneofhis
bestpracticesbooksonresortdevelopments.ManyAmericanplannerswouldlikelyconsiderittheworstkind
ofsprawl5,000cookie-cuttersingle-familyhomesploppeddownnexttoafreewayonramp,builtaroundfive
(!) 18-hole golf courses. Portionsof the ecologically sensitive Florida Evergladeswere also filled during the
developmentprocess. Mybossexplained that theCommunist Party hoped tobuild a similar type of resort
community outside Beijing. Itwouldbeoriented towards top officialswho are beginning todesire second
homesawayfromthehustleandbustleofthecity.Hewasparticularlyinterestedinthefloortoarearatiosused
inthesouthFloridadevelopment.Iwasparticularlyinterestedinconvincinghimthatitwasabadmodelto
emulate.
ThisgatedcommunityinFlorida,developedby theProfessionalGolfAssociation[ofAmerica],wasin
mybosssBestPracticesguide.Oddlyenough,Igrewuponlyacouplehoursfromhere.
MysupervisorhadnoideathatIgrewup inFlorida,orthatpartofwhat initiallygotme interestedin
urbanplanningwasmydesiretopreventthekindofluxurygolfcoursedevelopmentsliketheoneinhisbook
frombeingbuilt.Theassignmentchallengedmetothinkcarefullyabouthowtocommunicatemyviewsonthe
topicinawaythatwaspersuasiveandrespectful.
My approachmostly involved telling stories and asking questions. Since my department was also
interestedinskiresorts,Itoldthestoryofthe1990sVailSkiResortexpansionandsubsequenttorchingofone
ofthelodgesbytheAnimalLiberationFront(theygotakickoutofthis).Iaskedquestionsabouthowmuch
watergolfcoursesrequiredonanannualbasis,andhowmuchwaterwasavailable(northernChina,wherethe
developmentwasproposed,isexperiencingseverewatershortages).Iaskedaboutthedistributionofcostsand
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benefits,environmentalimpacts,andwhetherornotitwasreallypossibleforgolfcoursedevelopmentstobe
sustainable. Isawitasmyroleasanoutsidertopresentadifferentperspectiveinafirmbutgentleway. I
havenodoubtthatmybosswilldeliverwhateveritishisbossandultimatelywhatthePartywants,butmyhope
isthatperhapsIplantedaseedortwo.
Finally, Imade a presentation about the livable streetsmovement in the United States,progress in
planning forpedestriansandbicyclists,andhowsomeof these ideasmight be transferredto thestreets of
Beijing.
Reflections
PlanninginChina:thoughtsontheprocessandthebeneficiaries
IfCAUPDatallreflectswhaturbanplanningislikeacrossChina(anditmaynot),theprofessionappears
tobemostlyabout1)makingzoningmapsfornewcitiesinAutoCAD,2)avarietyofactivitieswedcallurban
design,and3)realestatedevelopment.Allofitmustworkwithintheobjectivesoftheparty(relentlessGDP
growth)andbringgloryandprestigetogovernmentofficials.Nearlyallworkisphysicalplanning,anditsmore
ofanartthanascience.Publicengagement,asinnearlyallareasofgovernmentdecision-making,isnotapart
oftheparadigm.
Despite the fact that CAUPD is a state-
ownedenterprise,thefirmdoesnotfunctionatall
like a public agency in the United States. In
additiontoassistingwithplanninginmunicipalities
acrossChina,CAUPDalsoworksasaconsultantfor
private companies seeking to develop luxury
condominiums,resorts,andotherprojects thatdo
not have a clear public benefit. The group of
AmericaninternsinBeijingnoticedthatnearlyallof
our departments seemed to be primarily working
on luxury housing or some sort of eco-tourism
project aimed at attracting wealthy domestic and
foreign travelers. We learned that CAUPD is
transitioning frombeinga hybridofpublic/private
organizationtocompletelyprivatecompany.
Overallmyimpressionwasthatplanningin
Chinese planners are really good at makingpretty maps and visualizations.
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Chinatendedtobenefitthoseatthetopofthepyramidrealestatedevelopers,thenewuppermiddleclass,
and high-ranking government officials. Mao Zedong would not be pleased. Yet in trying to compare the
beneficiariesofplanninginChinaandtheUSIrealizedthatitsextremelyeasytobecriticalofthewayasystem
works inanother place, and lazy not tocontinually reexamine the dynamicsofonesown system. Despite
differencesinprocess,planningeffortsintheUSoftenbenefitthesameclassofpeople.Ifoundithelpfultobe
remindedofthis,eventhoughitssomewhatuncomfortabletorecognize. This isoneof thebigthingsI took
awayfromtheexperience.
PedagogyinUSPlanningEducation:TowersintheParkurbanism
OneofthethingsplanningstudentsintheUSaretaughttohateisthemodernistvisionoftowersinthe
parkurbanism.ItwasfascinatingtoseethatinChina,aslightlytweakedversionofthismodelhasactually
beenadoptedandimplementedonagrandscale.Widelyspacedconcretetowersriserepetitivelyfrompatches
ofinternalgreenspacesandurbanfreewaynetworksalloverBeijing,Shanghai,Tianjin,andShenzhen.Attempts
atfullgradeseparationbymodeviatunnelsandbridgesexistatmanylocationstofacilitatetheefficientflowof
people. AtplanningexhibitionhallsinBeijingandShanghai,renderingsandphysicalmodelsof currentand
futuredevelopmentlookominouslysimilartoLeCorbusiersPlanVoison.
Left: Rendering of an award-winning housing complex recently completed in Beijing. Right: Amodel of a (built) section of Shanghais existing urban fabric.
WhileIremaincriticalofthesuperblocks,highlyrepetitivestructures,andriversofhigh-speedtraffic,on
somelevel itworks. ThecriticaldifferencebetweenthemodernistvisionandBeijingsurbanform, Ithink,is
that insteadofthetowersbeingstrictlysingle-useasCorbusierproposed,usesaremixedatavery finegrain.
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Its sortofRadiantCitymeetsNeighborhoodUnit. AnarticleI read recentlydescribedlargeChinesecitiesas
high densitysprawl, which I think captures the feelingnicely. However, thedensities arehigh enough to
supportworld-classpublictransitandadiversityofmarkets,shops,andrestaurants.Publicexercisefacilitiesare
also integrated into the streetscapethroughout the city. Soeven though the street isin someways a very
unpleasantenvironment,itisverywellusedbypedestrians.
WhileImnotreadytoacceptthismodelofurbanismasideal,itdefinitelygotmethinkingaboutthe
puzzleofurbandesignformegacitiesindevelopingcountriesinadifferentway.Obviouslytheyhaveadifferent
setofchallengesandconstraints,butexperiencingthedistinctivefeelofseveralChinesecitieswith15+million
peoplehelpedmerecognizeandbreakoutofmydogmatism.Theexperiencedefinitelystrengthenedmyview
thaturbandesignisanextremelyimportantbutoftenoverlookedpartoftheplanningprocess.
Transportation
Beijinghassomereallyinterestingandconflictingthingsgoingonwiththeirtransportationpoliciesand
street design approach. On the one hand theyre building an extensive, efficient, world-class public
transportationsystematarapidpace.Beijinghasarichheritageofutilitarianbicycling,andasaresultnearly
everyroadinBeijingcontinuestobebikeable.Iwasalsoblownawaybytheuseofcargotricycletohaulall
kindsoffreight.Widesidewalkscompletewithaidsforthevisuallyimpairedalsolineeverystreet.Officials
haveeveninstitutedsomerelativelyaggressiveauto-tamingpoliciesinrecentyearssuchaslimitingthenumber
ofdayseachcarmaybedriveninaweekbasedonlicenseplatenumbersandbanninglargetrucksfromthe
majorityofthecity.
Left:MeridingmyBeijingbike,a1970sFlyingPigeon(builtinneighboringTianjin.) Right:Atypical
arterialinBeijing.
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Ontheotherhand,thedesignofmajorarterialsandextensivenetworkofurbanfreewaysmakesBeijing
feel extremely auto-dominated. In the hierarchy of road users, private cars are clearly at the top, and
enforcementpracticesreinforcethestatusofdrivers.Ithinkpartofthishastodowithnationalpolicydesigned
tostimulategrowthintheautoindustry,andthefactthatthosemakingthepoliciesaremorelikelytobeableto
affordacar.
The impacts of favoring automobileswere immediately apparentwhen I arrived inBeijing. The air
pollutionisnothinglessthanhorrific.Insteadofinvitingpublicspaces,thestreetsfeellikeracetracks.Theyre
noisy,ugly,anddangerous. Formethe lessonis clear:theautomobileisatremendouslydestructiveforce in
urbanenvironments andmust beaggressivelymanaged. Itsnot enough for a transportation system tobe
multi-modal; it must recognize thenon-transportation benefits of streets as public spaces, and that means
makingdrivinglessattractivethananyothermode.
Sincethisis gettingsortoflongandIvealreadysharedmymost importantreflectionsinsomedepth,Ill
keeptherestofthemtobulletpoints:
Accesstoinformation
I couldnt believetheamount of information that was inaccessible on the Internet withouta virtual
privatenetwork(VPN).IthinktheimpactofgovernmentcensorshipismuchgreaterthantheChinese
peopleacknowledgeorimagine.SometimesItendtogetallpostmodernandrelativisticaboutstuffbut
seriously,blockingpeoplesaccesstoinformationandusingfearto restrictwhattheycanandcannot
sayismorallywrong.IfeelthatmorestronglythaneverafterlivinginChina.
ChinaSpeedandthewhole-heartedembraceofmodernization
ChinaSpeed,andtheembraceofsweepingchangeingeneral,isamazingtowatch.Youcanreallyfeel
theexcitement about therapid transitionChina ismaking. Thepublicexpectsrapidandcontinuous
change,andtheyhavegreathopeforthefuture.Ofcoursethetradeoffsinvolvedwithdesigningand
buildinga high-speed rail line in six months is that sometimes the trains crashand kill hundredsof
people,whichisverytragic.Andofcoursethepublicdoesntreallygetasayinwhatthefutureholds.
Imcertainlynotsayingitsacceptable,justexcitingtowatchincontrasttooursystem.
ModernpropagandaattheShanghaiPlanningExhibition.Prettymuchsumsuptheapproach.
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SearchfortheFormula
ManyoftheChineseplannersIinteractedwithseemedtobeconvincedthatthereonebestsolution
existsformostsituations.Theyalsotendtothinkofsolutionsinquantitativeterms,likeafloorarea
ratiothatwillunlock the secretsof idealurban form. I foundit really interestingthatthey did not
considerthecontextofagivensituationtobeallthatimportant.Ithinkthismighthavesomethingto
dowiththenatureoftheireducationalsystem,whichtendstofocusmoreonmemorizationandmath?
Food
Previousinternreportshavecommentedthatthefoodgetsoldquickly. Ifoundthistobecompletely
inaccurate.ThefoodinBeijingisincredibleanddelicious.Chineserestaurantsputantonoftimeand
effort in their culinary creations. Roast duck, traditional Beijing noodles, spicy-eggy-tofu-stew, and
Sichuangreenbeanswithporkweresomeofmyfavoritedishes.Yourenevermorethan100yards
from a stand selling exotic, succulent fruit like mangosteens, yum berries (yep), dragon fruit, and
lychees. Youcangetsteamedbuns,dumplings,andotheramazingstreetfoodforthesamepriceyou
cangetasnackfromavendingmachineintheUS.Disclaimer:Itsnearlyimpossibletoeatvegetarian.I
thinkIateabout50poundsofpork.AndeverythingssoakedinoilandMSG.Butthatjustmakesitmore
delicious!
From Left: Me about to eat a scorpion, fresh fruit, and the most amazing mobile BBQ ever.
PeopleProbablymy favorite partwas gettingto know someofmy co-workersatCAUPD. Theywere really
warmandtaughtmealotaboutChinesecultureandhistory.IespeciallyenjoyedtheinsightIreceived
fromtheChineseinterns(ofwhichthereare100persummerattheBeijingbranch!)andfromourhost
GaoHan.
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Conclusion
Overall,Ihadafantasticexperience.IfeelextremelyfortunatethatIhadtheopportunitytoexperience
Beijingforasummer,especiallyduringthisparticularmomentintime.IdrecommendittoanyMURPwithan
adventuresome spiritwho is curiousaboutwhat planning is like ina radically different political andcultural
environment.
Clockwise from top left: Veggies for sale on the street, an amazing load, the CCTV towerfrom the perspective of the neighbors, and preparing to demolish a communist-era apartmentbuilding.