Session 4 - June 28

[stubing]

Join us for the discussion session on Tuesday, 6/28 at 4pm PT

https://usc.zoom.us/j/97179452925?pwd=SWxqSmVkWDBpWXA5K0dhamFMUkRZdz09

Colonialism and its Legacies - From Macau to the Shanghai Bund 

 

 

Required reading

• European Architecture in Asia, by Bret Wallach

 

Redefining Western Modernism - Tokyo, Pudong & the Hong Kong  High-Rise City

 

 

Required reading

• The Western Genome in Japanese Architecture, by Vinayak Bharne

 

Attachments:

You must be logged in to view attached files.

[Amy Stamm]

Thanks, Professor Bharne, for your complex perspective on colonialism when examined temporally and from the multiple perspectives of people’s individual lives over the generations. I like your generosity and openness when examining these histories that are full of cross-fertilizations, play, exaggeration, and creativity. Your discussion about urban development in Japan, Hong Kong, and China was also so interesting in terms of the impact of national and local policy on city shapes and in terms of the pressures and creative designs that grow out of space constraints. I’m wondering about all of the environmental consequences in recent years as the rate of development outpaces, it seems, human thinking. It seems so difficult to intervene effectively in the churning, constant process of building.

The readings and lectures this week raised a number of questions for me.

1. I’m wondering what is happening in terms of class and access in these cities. You mentioned that Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Shanghai are some of the most expensive places in the world to live. How are rising real estate costs impacting the people who can’t keep up with those costs?
2. This question is building off of some of the discussion from Week 3, but I’m also thinking of some of the flows of ideas from the Week 4 material in new forms of globalizing travel. I’m wondering how surveillance technologies and the new positioning of people as sources of data to be tracked and collected are interacting with more local architectural vernaculars. How are these technologies changing the ways in which people inhabit and move through public and private spaces in different countries? In a country like Japan that has a tradition of an honor code where people are trusted in public transport, etc., are surveillance technologies eroding this sense of trust and honor?  

 

In the U.S. and other countries, security cameras are repositioning visitors to people’s homes as potential sources of danger and threat, or in the case of public spaces, they are repositing people as potentially carrying secrets or criminal intent/histories that could be pried open with new visual technologies like facial recognition.

 

“Smart” technologies are creating new ways in which people are conceptualizing the idea of “home” as an interactive entity that the inhabitant can program to prepare coffee, play particular songs, alert owners to “predators,” provide ways for people to remotely interact with their pets, etc.

 

The Chinese surveillance state is asserting new relationships between the government and its citizens, at the same time as activists are using technologies to create new forms of community and communication that outsmarts government surveillance. I’m wondering your thoughts on how new technologies are reshaping flows of power or aesthetics or possibilities that promote democracy or preserve local vernaculars, rather than subject people to global forces of surveillance and consumerism.

 

3. I’m wondering how China’s ghost cities fit into this discourse of urbanization. What role do they currently play economically, and how is their cultural role changing over time?

 

4. You mentioned the sheer pace of the development and growth of cities like Shanghai, where Chinese development policies do not account for environmental impacts in the slow, bureaucratic, and possibly environmentally-careful way that U.S. zoning policies are formed (or more likely to be formed). After destroying acres of wetlands and taking over the landscapes that were once on the outskirts of the city, Shanghai is now in danger of flooding from rising sea levels. What innovations have you seen in urban design to account for, protect against, or address rising sea levels?

 

[Nia Gipson]

A lot of really interesting ideas are being shared this week, and I am looking forward to the discussion next week. 

Colonialism and its Legacies - Follow-up questions: 

In the lecture, Professor Bharne talks about reframing colonialism as a two-sided process, where both the colonial power and the colonized nation benefit, and together they fuse and develop a culture all their own that is distinct from each of the original society. Through the lecture, we get many examples of how the current architectural landscape still bares that visible remnant of colonial rule. Despite the plethora of examples, I find myself unconvinced. Instead, a quote from Wallach's European Architecture in Asia resonated with me more, "For most readers, this story is an obvious sliver of the much grander narrative of globalization. What else, one might ask, should one expect from a colonial age and its aftermath? Architectural styles would inevitably be introduced, along with languages, administrative systems, infrastructure, and commercial enterprises. I would only add that this reading has unwelcome implications for anyone who wants to understand globalization as hybridization or cross-fertilization. The diffusion of European architectural styles doesn't offer much support for that benign reading (17). We don't see much cross-cultural exchange when it comes to European cities adopting Asian architecture verbatim, just using European materials. While I see the value in being able to read a city's history through its architecture, I wonder if there is a danger of sanitizing history when we talk about the legacy of colonial rule on the current urban landscape without delving into the systemic challenges of colonial rule that still persist today?

[Candace Slobodnik]

Focus Comments / Question for June 28. 

Question:

In what ways can educators create learning  opportunities where students begin to conceptualize possible solutions to climate change and food insecurites?   

In the last lecture Professor Bharne shared how large areas of school property are covered with asphalt.   Living near the Chesapeake Bay watershed, climate change also brings rising water levels for many communities.  Our high school is a Maryland Green School, and a few of our staff members continue to seek grant opportunities to help sustain and grow our Green School  status.  One of the major issues for any changes are the local, state and federal zoning and school funding regualations.  The state of Maryland also has strict rules about using school funding for capital improvements, which can lead to other uphill battles. Our school was built in the 1960s and rather than tear it down and rebuild, the decisions to improve usually involve construction or upgrades for classrooms when we have new career programs.  The decisions are not always well coordinated, so as recipients of grant funding, the appropriate or intended use of the monies can often be delayed.  During the pandemic one contractor did not complete our Outdoor Classroom and we are hoping the project will be completed so that we are able to fund and build our greenhouse. 

During the second lecture, Redefining Western Modernism, Professor Bharne shared the concept of speedier rebuilding of Tokyo after disasters due to less strict zoning rules.  On the other hand, one consequence of rapid modernization on cities such as Shanghai, have seen a negtative environmental impact that is also attributable to climate change.    I like the idea of the impermanent screens used in Ginza and wonder if that concept might be used for schools such as ours that constantly adapt to the need for training 21st century workers.   It would be great for our Contstruction and Development teachers and students to learn about this type of design from the architects.  

I had a wonderful experience in April 2022 when I attended a Zoom event hosted by Univ of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies - Chesapeake Biological Laboratory's Science for Communities Webinar Series. http://ttps://www.umces.edu/cbl/science-citizens The guest speaker was Professon Dr. Kirchner of Morgan State University, HBCU. She shared her experiences working with students and the community to develop community gardens within one of Baltimore City's historically black neighborhoods. Many of residents face food insecurites and are also subject to increased gentrification as well as climate change and the hazards of rising water. Dr. Kirchner's work in Baltimore can be found starting on p. 48 of this Issu site - https://issuu.com/arch4247/docs/case_study_2_-_compiledpages. The document showcases Case Studies in other urban areas such as Detroit and Brooklyn as well.

While viewing the Dr. Bharne's second lecture, I began to see the connections with the ideas presented in the Morgan State community project and possible options for our own secondary students.  Some of our students also choose to enroll in Morgan State each year and it is also the alma mater of a few colleagues.  The ideas from this Session IV are an inspiration for me to share with our Green Team educators for our next steps when we apply for the competetive Exelon Corp Green Lab grant in the fall.  Link - 

https://www.exeloncorp.com/newsroom/exelon-announces-2022-green-lab-grant-winners-plans-to-advance-stem-education-in-under-resourced-communities

 

[Nina Zhou]

Thanks for raising this thoughtful point, Nia! I definitely found myself thinking similar things after reading Wallach's article and watching Professor Bharne's first recorded lecture on colonial legacies. I am curious about how we can consider the power dynamics that implicitly exist in the European-style architecture in Asia today. While Professor Bharne described colonialism as a complex process in which the diverse culture and histories of the local people also influenced Europe, we haven't seen many examples in this seminar that help illustrate this point. In comparison, there are clearly a pleathora of examples that show the influence Europeans have left on Asia. Interestingly, Wallach chose to characterize the relationship of globalization/urban development between Europe and Asia as one-sided. He pointed to the fact that even today, the architects of the most impressive projects in Asia are foreign in background or training. Similarly, the global dominance of Western culture (and lifestyle) seems to have pushed many Asian countries to embrace urban development projects and policies that adhere to the West's way of life (Singapore as the example, pg. 18). I find Wallach's point to be at odds with Professor Bharne's, which seems to suggest a more equal and mutual cultural exchange and hybridization. I'd love to learn about any counter-examples that could help show the ways in which European architecture and urban planning were influenced by Asia as a result of colonization.

[Nina Zhou]

Thank you Professor Bharne for another insightful lecture, this time on the intersectionality of colonial legacy, modernization, and urban landscapes. I have already shared some of my thoughts regarding the first lecture/reading set under Nia's post, but here are some of my current wonders related to the second lecture/reading on the expression of modernity in Asian urbanism.

I really enjoyed the in-depth discussion of Japan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai as case studies of Asian modern urbanism and urbanality. It brought back fond memories of hunting for a cheap pair of sneakers in Mong Kok and getting lost in Shinjuku Station for 20 minutes, walking around aimlessly trying to find the correct exit- ha!

I think one of the key reasons why Tokyo's busy and overcrowded spaces still feel so organized is because of the strong adherence and respect for rules and social norms in Japanese culture--this is a trait that is far less dominant in Western cultures, and even other Asian ones. When I lived in Tokyo, I was always surprised at the degree to which local residents followed a set of protocols when conducting daily tasks--sorting trash into precise categories (the cap, label, and bottle of a plastic water bottle go into three separate bins), carrying a tiny trash bag in your bag since there are no trash bins on the streets, standing to the left side of the escalator so that others may pass you on the right, only smoking in public designated areas outside, etc. Urban planning in an intense, post-industrial landscape like Tokyo only works largely because of individual adherence to formalized rules and unspoken norms that turn the transit nodes and neon places into a well-oiled machine. I wonder if this is a reason why we have yet to see any place like Tokyo in European and American urban places.

Secondly, Professor Bharne's final point on sustainability challenges in Asian urban development reminded me of the existing tensions between the East and West, Developing and Developed, Global North and Global South, surrounding environmental responsibility. Through the lens of geopolitics and international relations, one of the biggest criticisms Asian countries like China and India have thrown against the U.S. and other European nations is the West's tendency to point fingers at developing nations for contributing to climate change, when in fact the majority of our current environmental issues have been caused by industrialization and modernization in the West. Shouldn't the less-economically developed nations, after centuries of colonization, deserve to build, expand (and pollute) in the same way as those western nations? Obviously, this is a rather nationalist perspective in thinking about environmental responsibility. I am curious if a similar discourse exists in the realm of urban studies and sustainability, and if so, what this discourse looks like. Is sustainability an universal value that is being embraced by all, or is it considered a rather Western/European sentiment that shouldn't take precedence over development needs and financial costs?

[Taylor Bub]

Candace, 

I think your question about how we can have students start to conceptualize possible solutions to climate change is so important.  We look at these things in my Biology course, and at my school we are lucky enough to have a magnet that is centered around leadership in environmental advocacy.  The teacher leading this program has fought to create a community garden on campus that the students have become very involved in.   One thing that often comes up in my classroom when students are exploring solutions is creating green spaces, but a huge misconception that my students have is that they think that just adding any plants or even worse adding grass will be helpful.  It is important to discuss with students why planting things that are native to the area and will help sustain the local ecosystem is so important.  I think it would be a great idea to have students start to research cities that are doing the best at fighting climate change.   Students could explore different ways that these cities are approaching the problem and brainstorm what ways would be the easiest or most helpful to implement in their own city.  You could also use this discussion as a way to discuss cultural differences in the different approaches.  For example, in the article linked below, you would find a small summary of 10 cities that are doing excellent work fighting climate change.  Students could explore how Munich is looking into renewable energy, while Tokyo is creating regulations on CO2 emissions, and Mexico City is focused on creating better air quality.  This way studnets could look into what issues their city has that are most pertinent and pull ways from these model cities to determine what might be the best course of action for their own city.

https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/10-cities-tackling-climate-change/178136/

[Joanna Bourque]

After reading a passage from Zen Spaces and Neon Places, I was reminded of my comments from the second session about the fate of traditional Zen shoin gardens as they are now engaging with modern cityscapes. Zen Spaces and Neon Places excerpts Charles Moore's essay Impressions of Japanese Architecture "how his continuing awe at Japan’s 'magic gardens of purest peace' was defiled by its 'endless degrading sprawl; the bad air; the shapeless, scattered mass that connects the suburbs from the land', as well as Tadao Ando's essay From Self-Enclosed Modern Architecture toward Universality lamenting "the loss of Japanese architecture's 'intimate connection with nature and openness to the natural world'."

Concerning modern architecture: I see a connection to Japan's traditional architectural styles utilizing natural elements, natural motifs, and natural views that seem to be missing from the recent past. Asakusa Culture and Tourist Information Center is a tiered tower with multiple eaves, similar to the pagoda, while it's facade is mostly glass with the addition of vertical wooden slats. The TOD's building's front-facing facade, while less ornate and more abstract, is again mostly glass with a pattern of criss-crossed brackets branching upwards, naturally mirroring the bare branches of the tree nearby. The exterior of the Spiral building is sectioned into areas of differing grid patterns that appears quite modern in material and design, yet, is reminiscent of traditional Japanese lattice doors and windows.

Concerning natural spaces: In the prior reading A View from the Zen Shoin there was a passage about post-WWII Japanese garden design and the "dualism between man and nature" that had not been seen before. Although some characteristics of traditional Zen garden design were still practiced, the purpose and intention were replaced: appreciating nature gave way to appreciating the intent of the artist, and private areas for self-meditation gave way to public spaces for public use. Although Japan still maintains a distinct connection to its past and its traditions, mega-structures and towers are being erected that can potentially obliterate the intentional design and function of existing traditional Zen gardens, especially those utilizing "borrowed scenery" from the natural environment beyond their boundaries. As early as 1962, there was discussion about how "Japan’s 'magic gardens of purest peace' was defiled by its 'endless degrading sprawl'." While those discussions are mostly attributed to architects and critics, I am curious as to whether the uncertain future of existing traditional Zen gardens and other natural spaces is a concern for a modern Japanese population. 

[Vinayak Bharne]

Some very complex (in a good way!) points and questions. These subjects, as we well know, are not easy. Looking forward to our meeting today.

 

[Miguel Diaz]

Video 2

The segment on the video about Pudong helped me to reminisce about the year (2001-2002) that I spent living in a high rise building that had an unobstructed view of the Bund area from my living room. I can't remember the exact floor I lived on, but it was near the 20th floor. My old building appears in the photo of the model at the beginning of the segment.

In the video, Professor Bharne observes that Pudong is not a good model for modern cities of the future because there needs to be energy and life between the buildings, there needs to be humanity.

I'd like to ask if these observations hold true for the entirety of Pudong, or if they only apply to the financial district that sits opposite the Bund?

[LaurenBullock]

I'm really struck by the ways that the environment continues to be a factor even into post-industrialization. I'm reflecting on our previous discussions of nature being a formative part of early Japanese architecture, for instance, and how this week's lecture demonstrated how natural disasters still shape the landscape of Tokyo in a similar, albeit more violent form. As we think about the future of East Asian design, and the future of global design as our world becomes more and more homogenous, I'm wondering how climate change will affect the contruction of cities as natural disasters continue to grow in scale. At what point will this redefining of western modernism become adopted by the west itself? I'd also be interested to see if there were any cultural shifts around the home as a living space post-COVID-19 outbreak in cities with smaller interiors like Hong Kong and Tokyo.  

[Hannah Klein]

The lectures and readings from this week reminded me of an immersive art installation here in LA at the Velaslavasay Panorama, an unconventional art space housed in an old movie theatre. The Shengjing Panorama is a 360 degree panorama painting with sound and light components that portrays the northern Chinese port city of Shengjing between the years of 1910-1930. There is a pastiche of architectural styles on display in this cityscape, some that seem indigenous to China and some that seem European. If you're in the area, I definitely recommend checking it out! https://panoramaonview.org/home/shengjing-panorama

[Taylor Bub]

In class you mentioned how some different words have different roots that come from different places.  I believe the example you used was the word "monsoon" and how it comes from the Arabic word mausim, which means weather.  In my Physiology course, my students are exposed to many new and complex vocabulary words.  I have students as an exercise and warm up, break down more complicated words into their smaller prefixes, suffixes, and roots.  This way, students start to identify things that they recognize and how those words come from different places. It gives students a new way to appreciate the language that they speak and to also make connections between their home language.  This works very well with many Spanish speaking students, but I wonder if there are similarities in some different Asian languages, as I do not have many examples currently

[Marcos Garrido]

I like how this reading focused not only on the legacy of modern European architecture in Asia, but in several time periods such as the Renaissance, Neoclassical, Gothic and a few others. For the Neoclassical Era, I will use the Town Hall in Mumbai India as an example. Looking tat the picture alone, without any context or caption, this looks like any western government structure from the classical world in Ancient Greece and Rome, or any other replica of modern government structures in the West. For the Gothic era architecture, I will choose the photograph in page 5, the Rajbai Tower. Again, if I was to look at this photograph without any type of context, I would say that this is some type of church in Germany or even Italy or some western university. There were several photographs in this particular section of the reading that made me realize how much heritage and legacy of colonial architecture India has from its British colonizers.

[Taylor Bub]

I love the idea of Zakkyo buildings.  I wish that we had some sort of concept here in Los Angeles that was similar.  In terms of walkability and accessibility to different places, I think that these buildings are so helpful.  I know that in Los Angeles county there are regulations on what area can be residential versus areas that can be for businesses.  The area that I live in currently is fairly close in terms of walking to some small places, like coffee shops, laundramats, and restaurants.   It is so nice to not have to rely on a car to get to where I need to go, but if I need to go somewhere that is a little further I HAVE to rely on my car, and when gas prices are as high as they are currently, it is so nice to have the option of public transportation and walking to where I might need to go.

[Author]

Posts