Urban Loopholes: Creative Alliances of Spatial Production in Shanghai’s City Center

448 Pages·2017·58.75 MB·English

by  Ying Zhou

UrbanLoopholes

YingZhou
Urban Loopholes
CreativeAlliancesofSpatialProductioninShanghai’sCityCenter
Birkhäuser
Basel
6
Preface
14
UrbanTransformationinDiverseInner-cityNeighborhoodsinShanghai
ForewordbyKeesChristiaanse
17
Chapter1:Introduction
22 TheContextoftheTransitionEconomyandtheChineseCity
30 ConceptualFramework:theUrbanLoophole
37 ResearchMethods
48 ExistingStudiesonUrbanChinainTransition
54 ContentandStructure
69
Chapter2:TheResidentialNeighborhood
80 SeedsofHousingMarketization,ForeignInvestment,and
ReconnectingtotheWorld
86 StateInstitutions,HousingMarketization,andtheGapof
Opportunity
90 ExpeditedKnow-HowImportandtheDualMarket
99 BeforetheTower:theLilong
106 OriginsoftheResidualConditions
111 PreservationofAmbiguousPropertyRights
118 DemographicShiftandCommercialSpatialDemand
126 IncrementalConversionsandSmallCreativeEntrepreneurs
129 ChangingHabitat
143
Chapter3:TheCulturalStreet
150 FromFirstRecognitionsofArchitecturalHeritageto
Implementation
162 SettingtheContextforHeritagePolicyImplementation
170 TheOldHouseandtheClubHouse—ChangingMarketSupply
andDemand
177 LocalizedCosmopolitansandtheDevelopingofLePassage
FuxingandFergusonLane
185 ConservingHeritage:Lane1754(Aka1768)andLane117
198 The‘Western’DistrictandLearningfromthe‘BeautificationPlan’
206 TheWorldPrimarySchoolandSmallEntrepreneurs
210 ApproximatingGlobalizationandtheState’sAppropriation
235
Chapter4:TheMidtownofChina
243 TheParagonofEconomicLiberalization:Jing’anDistrictandtheDevelopment
ofWestNanjingLu
254 EvocationofHeritage—RedefiningJing’anVillas
261 Jing’anVillas’CommercializationandCreativeEnterprises
272 ThePrecedentofTianzifangforCommercialization
281 ThePublicRelationsWarsandtheDifferingVisionsofJing’anVillas’Future
287 TheNeighboringEn-BlocDevelopmentofDazhongli
296 ZhangGardens:Jing’anDevelopsItsHeritageValue
313 GentrificationwithChineseCharacteristics
335
Chapter5:TheNewEconomies
339 AlternativeBusinessPlanforCreativeIncubation:AnkenGreen
350 NewLocal-GlobalAlliances:theUpgradeofYongkangLu
364 TheNewEconomies
379
Chapter6:TheContemporaryArtEcologies
384 FromContestationtoAppropriation:theTransformationofM50
394 “MadeinChina”:NewMuseumsandtheBusinessofArt
400 UncertaintyandRegeneration
404 ArtandArchitectureCatalyzeDevelopment
408 ContemporaryArtEcologies
423
Chapter7:Outlook
425 CasesfromShanghaiandUrbanLoopholes
428 ShiftsintheUrbanLoopholesunderEconomicTransition
430 TheUrbanLoopholesasEquilibratorsandLearningFromtheUrbanLoophole
435
Acknowledgments
437
AbouttheAuthor
438
IllustrationCredits
441
IndexofPersons,Institutions,andFirms
Preface
“Ifwedon’tknowwherewecomefrom,wearestandingnowhere.”
AiWeiwei,interviewwithEvanOsnosfortheNewYorkerFestival,2014
When I want to describe what it was like to live under the strictures of a socialist
plannedeconomy,Iusuallystartwithafondmemoryoficecreamintheearly1980s.
IntheswelteringsummersofShanghaibackthen,Iwouldexplain,thereweretwo
kindsoficecreamtowhichachildlikemyselfcouldlookforward.Bothwerecubic
blocks wrapped in thin wax paper packed in blue cardboard boxes, and opened to
thecreamywhite‘icedbricks[冰砖]’withtheonlyflavorpossibletoicecreamachild
ofthatplaceandthattimecouldknow.Thechoicebetweenthe‘medium-sizedbrick
[中砖]’andthe‘large-sizedbrick[大砖]’wasanobviousone,althoughIhadtoweigh
themeltingspeedofthelargerpieceagainsttheinfrequencyofrefrigeratorsinthecity.
Icecreamissomethingtowhichalmosteveryonereadingthiscanrelate.Iuseice
creamtoexplainbecausetheabundancerepresentedbythecontemporarydiversity
offlavors,sizes,types,nottomentionplaceswhereonecouldprocurethem,issome-
thingthatweoftentakeforgranted.Mylimitedscopeoficecreamcorrespondedwith
adrawn-outerainChinesehistorywhencentralplanninghadalsocontrolledevery
aspectofdailylife,fromconsumerproductsandhousingtoeducationandjobs.Itiso-
latedthevastcountryofbillionsfromthechangingoutsideworld.Centralplanning
andthepoliticalideologiesofsocialismareabstractconcepts.Buttheavailabilityand
choiceoficecreamisaconcrete,livedexperience.Fromourperspectiveoflivingin
globallyconnectedmarketeconomies,wherehavingchoicesisagiven,afundamental
reflectiononthetremendoustransformationsthathavetakenplaceinChina,bring-
ingitfromoneofsocialistplanningtomarketcapitalism,ormoreconcretelyfrompre-
ciouslylimitedtooverwhelmingchoicesforicecream,iscrucialtoanyfurtherstudies
ofthecountry,andothersimilarlymanagedplacesintheworldtoday.
Iuseicecreamtoexplain,also,because,asanarchitect,Iamalsointerestedinthe
placewhereIhadlinedupattheDairyFactory[牛奶棚].Today,itiswherethewhite
tiledmammothoftheShanghaiLibrarystands.LikemanypartsofthecityofShanghai
thathaveundergonecompleterenewalsincetheearly1990s,theneighborhood—my
memoriesoficecreamqueuestookplacehere—whichhadbeenasuburbanedgeof
the1980scity,hasalsobecomecentrallylocatedprimerealestateintheexpansive
metropolisofShanghaitoday.Intheproliferationofconsumerchoicesandthespatial
expansionwithinthethreedecadessinceeconomicliberalizationbegan,thetransfor-
mationsofShanghaihavebeentremendous.Thetransformationsinthemunicipalre-
gionofmorethantwenty-plusmillionareembodiedinmymemoryofthoseicecream
blocks.Fromthehumbleandlocallyproducedblue-packagedGuangmingbrand,the
onlyoneatthetime,totoday’ssnazzyHäagen-Dazsparlors,fro-yobars,icedmoon-
cakefads,andwhatnot,notonlyhasconsumerism,propelledbyglobally-circulated
capitalism,returnedandblossomed;buttogetherwithpoliciesanddevelopmentsthat
havemadeitallpossible,ithasresultedinlocallyspecificurbanspatialproductions
thathavefundamentallyreshapedthecity.Boththechangingurbansocietyandits
spatialtransformationsareimportanttotheensuingstudy.(Fig.1)Throughlensesspe-
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Fig.1PhotocollageofDengXiaopingfromalargemuralfeaturingtheskylineofShenzhenandrepresenting
China’seconomicliberalizationaspropelledbytheDeng-ledcentralgovernment,withtheskylineofShanghai’s
BundandPudong,representingthecentralgovernment’sdecisiontomakeShanghaithe‘Dragon’sHead’of
thenation,initiatingacceleratedeconomicmarketizationandtherapidurbantransitionthattookplace
(photocollagebyauthor)
cifictothedisciplineofarchitectureandurbandesign,thefollowingpiecewilltryto
unpackhowthemechanismsofurbanspatialproductionfacilitatedandmanifested
therapidgrowth,transformations,andglobalizationinthecontemporaryChinesecity
ofShanghai.Itisfromtheempiricallygatheredphysicalandsocial-economicmanifes-
tationsoftheeverydaythatthestudyofurbanspatialproductionrevealsthebroader
developmentinthepoliticaleconomyofrapidlychangingcities.
IamoftheurbangenerationborninthedecadeafterthedeathofChina’sgreat
leaderMao, and my memories span fromtheonesbeforemewho experienced the
famines of the Great Leap Forward and the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution and
thosewhocameaftermeknowingonlytherapidgrowthandchangeofeconomiclib-
eralization.Iwasaprivilegedchild.Ilivedinacity,andarelativelywell-offonefor
thethenimpoverishedChina.Myfamilyhadarefrigeratorinanerawhenappliances
werelimitedandboughtonlythroughforeigncurrencyexchangecertificatesprocured
fromoverseaswires.Ilivedinaflatthat,thoughcrowdedbyWesternstandards,was
notsharedwithtwoorthreeotherfamiliesandwasnotshortonmoderninfrastruc-
ture.Thewinterswerecold,forallindoorheatingapplianceshadbeenremovedby
thepost-LiberationdecreeforcitiessouthoftheYangtzeRiver.Unscientificthough
itclearlywas,theauthoritieshadperhapsreallybelievedthatcentralplanningcould ce
a
evenovercometheweatherandthatthemassiveregionsouthofYangtzedidnotneed Pref
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heating.Nevertheless,withicecreamcamesummer,andthencamethefridge,wash-
ingmachine,television,andeventelevisionshows,ononesinglechannel.Compared
withwhenIwasborn,withmymother’shukoustillnotreturnedtoShanghaiafter
havingbeensenttothecountrysidelikemillionsofotherurbanyouths,andfoodwas
rationedandcouponsforagriculturalproductswerestillthecurrencyofexchangefor
thesocialistplannedeconomy,lifewasimproving.
Iwasfortunatetogrowupinthetimesofchange,changeforthebetternonethe-
less.WithDisney’sSnowWhiteandRomySchneider’sPrincessSissishowingatthecin-
emas,andjeansandsneakersappearinginstreetmarkets,notonlywasChinanolon-
gertormentedbypoliticalupheavalsandideologicalwarsthattooktremendoustollon
theordinarypeople’severydaylives,butcities,particularlythoselikeShanghai,were
usingtheircosmopolitanpaststoreconnecttotheoutsideworld.Inthemidstofthe
tremendouschangestocomethough,Ileftthecountry,withmyparents.Likemanyin
Shanghaiwhohadpre-1949familiallinkstotheWest,atranscontinentalchangebod-
edlife’sevenbetterbetterment.Itwasonlywhenwewatchedthehopesthathadunit-
edtheidealisticstudentsandpragmaticworkersdashed,intheTiananmenSquareof
1989,fromthesafetyinfrontofourtinybutcoloredCNN-loopingtelevision,thatmy
parents,likemanyChinesestudentswhohadonlyplannedonashortsojourninthe
U.S. beforereturning,decidedindeedtoremainawayfromtheircountry.Itwasthe
clarityofthatdefiningevent—perhapsmagnifiedbythecommentariessoopenlyut-
tered—ratherthantherepeateduncertaintiesthattheyhadsufferedinthedecades
before,thatconvincedthemofthechoice.Itwas,asIwouldonlyrealizelater,alsofor
myfuture.Iwassparedthetraumaofthe1990sstate-ownedenterprise(SOE)layoffs
andthemadoptimismofdemolitionandurbanrenewals.ButafteranEastCoastlib-
eralartseducationandstintsincitieslikeNewYork,Boston,Basel,Iwouldarrivein
Shanghai,realizingthatIhaveanunderstandingofChina’sinherentlogicandanout-
sider’seyethatsawmanythingsthatmostwhoremainedcouldnot.
ItwasearlyoneeveninginDamascus,inthefallof2009.Iwasteachingandhadin
towtwelvearchitecturestudents.Inotedoutloudthatthestreetwewerewalking
downremindedmeofShanghai.Indaylight,thepeople,thesignage,thebuildings,
surelywouldhavegivenawaythatIwasnotonHuaihaiLu,ortheformerAvenue
Joffre.Butintheearlydusklight,theproportionofspacesdupedmyabilitytodiscern
thecity.Whenwecontinuedontootherboulevardsthenextday,myvisceralconfu-
sionofplaceswasconfirmed,bytherealizationthatthosetreeswereplatanus.(Fig.2)
Theirdistanceapart,theirrelationstothesidewalk,thesetbackofthebuildingsand
theproportionsoftheroadtothearchitecture,theirroleinthebeautificationofthe
citywerepartofthespatialvocabularyforurbanismoftheFrenchmandateinDa-
mascus.TheplatanuswerealsothesameonesinShanghai.Inthewestern-endofthe
formerFrenchconcessionswhereIwasbornandgrewup,thetreeshadlovinglycan-
opiedoverthefreshlytarmackedstreetsinthesummers.Theconvergenceoftheim-
agesmademerealizetheplanningideologiesthathadshapedmineandmanyothers’
memoriesofcities.
OtherthingswelearnedinourtwoweeksinDamascusalsomademerealizethat
Icouldunderstanditsurbanism.ThiswasnotonlybecauseIunderstandalreadyits
coloniallegaciesandplanningideologies;butalsobecauseIunderstandthelogicof
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Fig.2PhotosoftheplatanustreesfromDamascus,whichtriggeredthetheoreticalframeworkforthisstudy,2009
anothernationwithatransitioningeconomy,China,whosecityalsomanifestedits
encounterwithmodernity,Shanghai.Itwasanotherstrangelyconfirmingmoment,
whenoneofmystudents,agirlfromChongqing,burstintotearsasthedeanofDamas-
cusUniversityexplainedtheirurbantransformationprocesses.Shewasdistressedat
howsimilarlythedescriptionssoundedtotheonesweknewfromChina.Growingin-
equalitydeviatingfromtheoriginaltenetsofsocialism,therampantcommodification
ofarchitectureheritage,thedevelopmentprojectsonextra-territoriallandsbyglob-
alcapital.Theprocessesofchangethatthecountryisundergoingfollowingitseco-
nomicliberalization,andspecificallyitsurbanspatialmanifestations,echoedtheones
weknew.Theconceptofthe‘urbanloophole,’whichwillbetheunderlyingredthread
throughtheensuingtext,grewoutofmyobservationsfromDamascus,butwouldbe-
comeanimportantconceptualframeworkfordeepeningtheunderstandingofhow
theurbanspatialproductionprocessesinformedandwereimpressedbyatransition-
ingpoliticaleconomy.Thefirstinklingsoftheurbanloopholecameoutinanarticlein
theissuethemed“ResilientCities”inthejournal,CriticalPlanning,in2010.
Shanghai,thus,cameeasilyasthechosensiteforadeeperstudyusingthisna-
scentconceptualframework.Assomeonewithintimateknowledgeofthecity’spal-
ettes,memories,culture,aswellasmyundetectablylocaldialect,doorsopenedmore
readilyandmoreeasilyformethanfortransplantedscholars,evenChineseones.Ihad ce
a
gleanedenoughtounderstandthetickingofthecity.Myempathiesasaninsiderare Pref
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