[Miguel Diaz]

Hi Lauren,

You’ve brought up some interesting points. I am especially interested on how climate change will have an impact on the construction of cities as natural disasters continue to grow in frequency and scale. I am wondering if more environmentally friendly materials will be used in the construction of dwellings, public buildings, and other infrastructure.

[Miguel Diaz]

Hi Madelyn,

I had not given much thought to Tokyo's permanent state of alert – and it's constant need to rebuild following natural disasters – until professor Bharne pointed this out in his lecture. Japan has long faced land scarcity given that only a small percentage of Japan is habitable. I found the explanation on why many buildings in Tokyo don't appear to follow strict zoning and/or architectural guidelines. I didn't know that policymakers allowed for so much flexibility to compensate for the destructive forces of nature.

[Miguel Diaz]

I spent a summer in Beijing a year or two before the Olympics, and I remember walking into the basements of several large buildings that had been converted into small apartment units. I remember even seeing small businesses (such as convenience stores and hair salons) being run out of some of the units. I didn't get a chance to visit one of the bomb shelters in Beijing, but I did visit a bomb shelter in Shanghai that had been converted into a small recording studio. It even had practice rooms for musicians to rent out. I didn't know that Shanghai had any bomb shelter or basement apartments like Beijing.

[Miguel Diaz]

I really like your ideas about finding ways to take your students outside so you can be in nature during the school day. I also like your ideas about bringing plants into your classroom. This reminds me that I need to pick up a plant for my own classroom. I wonder if it will be possible for schools in the future to have windows from floor to ceiling that look out to gardens and green spaces instead of playgrounds made entirely of asphalt?

[Miguel Diaz]

Hi Nia,

You brought up some great points on sustainability and on the need to learn from indigenous building practices. I agree with your point that rebuilding the massive wooden structures in Japan is an unsustainable process. I wonder what alternative materials can be considered for future use? I also use many examples of Zen practices in my classroom -- in efforts to inspire my students to consider a more sustainable and dimple way of living.  

[Miguel Diaz]

Hi Ben,

The butterfly tile looks very similar to those that are still used in many parts of Europe and Latin America. A comparative study of Chinese tiles and Italian (or Spanish tiles) Would make an interesting research topic for students. What types of materials were used to create these tiles in different regions and throughout different times in history? What types of buildings were they used on?

[Miguel Diaz]

I'm looking forward to assigning a unit to my students on architecture’s relationship to climate and context. What types of materials and what kinds of forms are chosen as a response to climate and context? Why are some structures built of wood while others are built of stone? I plan to ask my students to choose two different countries in East Asia so that they can make a comparison on their architecture’s relationship to climate and context.

[Miguel Diaz]

I watched a documentary about Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong a couple of years ago. It would be interesting to learn where the former residents of this walled city relocated. Present day Hong Kong suffers from a severe shortage of affordable housing. My assumption is that the former inhabitants of the walled city moved to buildings with similar living conditions. Many cities across America suffer from the availability of affordable housing. Affordable housing would make a great research topic for my students.

[Miguel Diaz]

I would like to know more about urban informality, specifically, I would like to know more about how city planners in East Asian cities (and elsewhere) view vendors, hawkers, and unskilled laborers. Are hawkers and vendors allowed to go about their business by policymakers because they lessen the financial burden on cities? And what type of economic benefits does urban informality bring to city coffers?

[Miguel Diaz]

Video 1

I really enjoyed listening to Professor Bharne’s perspective on colonialism. I especially liked how he juxtaposed his views on colonialism to those of his grandfather.

As a person of Mexican ancestry, I'm especially interested in this subject because Mexico had a long colonial past. One interesting area of study for students, especially those interested in Latin America, would be to study Spain under Moorish rule. What were the lives of those who would eventually become conquistadors like under Moorish rule?

[Miguel Diaz]

It was interesting to learn that qilou shop houses were introduced to China during the European colonial era. One of my favorite streets in Shanghai near Yu Garden was lined with these types of buildings. As of a couple of years ago: nearly all the qilou buildings on that particular street have been razed in the name of progress. I can't remember the name of the street, but I liked to visit often when the street was thriving and lined with music stores. The side streets there were also full of rhythms of life.

[Miguel Diaz]

I am interested to know to what extent East Asian aesthetics and symbols transcend social class. I am aware, that virtually everyone in China understands and appreciates the importance of feng shui, at least to some extent. However, what exactly does feng shui mean to a factory worker in Shenzhen who lives in a crowded dormitory? What does it mean to a restaurant worker in Shanghai who shares a bedroom with a half dozen other restaurant workers? I spent several months living in Osaka, Japan many years ago. When arrived in Japan, I had originally planned to stay there for at least a couple of years. But as much as I loved Japan, I had to cut my stay short due to my inability to adjust to living in an excruciatingly confined space. I had a tiny apartment with no windows.

Do people living in tiny spaces in places like Korea and Hong Kong think about feng shui daily? I've been to Hong Kong at least a half dozen times. And as with Japan, I really like to visit Hong Kong, but I find even hotel stays quite difficult due to the lack of space.

[Miguel Diaz]

It was interesting to learn that in the early Zen monasteries all gardens were wet gardens, and that the transition to dry gardens resulted from war and/or economic upheavals. The Zen rock gardens were created to inspire calmness of the mind and to emulate the islands in the ocean. It was also interesting to learn how the gardens also served as foregrounds to backdrops of nature such as forests and mountains. I have recently replaced the wood chips around my house, and in part of my backyard, with small pebbles to emulate a Japanese Zen Garden. The simplicity of my new landscaping really does inspire calmness.

[Miguel Diaz]

Video 2

I found professor Bharne’s explanation of water towns in East Asia quite interesting. I’ve been to Suzhou, as well as a couple of other Chinese water towns, but I haven’t been to Venice. I think that the topic of water towns would make a great research project for students. They can start by tracing the development and importance of water towns in ancient civilizations, then they can move on to the water towns of major cosmopolitan cities like Bangkok.

[Miguel Diaz]

I really enjoyed Professor Bharne’s seminar titled East Asian Design: Architecture & Urbanism. The online synchronous sessions, assigned readings, and videos were both highly informative and fascinating.

I teach elementary school (5^th grade). However, I believe that many of the topics and concepts that were discussed during the seminar can be taught to 5th graders, especially gifted students. Due to advances in technology and the continued growth in global trade, the world is increasingly interconnected. Therefore, today’s K-12 students need to be taught more about the world beyond their borders and shores in a more comprehensive and systematic manner. Additionally, students need to learn to embrace a comparative West-East approach that is based on a deeper level of understanding, and more importantly, one that is based on mutual respect.

I believe that my students will be able to make a nice comparison between their city in the San Fernando Valley, and a great East Asian city such as Tokyo or Shanghai. As Professor Bharne pointed out, Western cities can learn from East Asia. From the perspective of city planning, students will benefit from learning about the aesthetic principles that have driven (and currently drive) design at various East Asian cities. Students, for example, can conduct a comparative study of transportation systems and infrastructure in a place like Hong Kong and their home city in the Los Angeles area.

I’d like to end on this note. The seminars that are made possible by the USC US-China Institute are of great value to teachers (and our students) because the institute brings together world-class scholars who are willing to share their insightful work with us.

A big thanks to Professor Bharne and Professor Dube!

[Author]

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