New Urban China

China is undergoing a process of unprecedented urbanisation, with cities often being built from scratch in just three to five years. It is projected that 400 new cities will be built over the next 20 years with newly urbanised populations of over 240 million. So rapid and intense is this process that consumption of energy and natural resources is outstripping supply, posing unique challenges for the creation of sustainable cities. This issue focuses on how cities are being ′Made in China′ today and how their development is to impact on the future of cities worldwide. Provides the inside story with contributions from Chinese urbanists, academics and commentators. Features an interview on Dongtan with Peter Head of Arup Dedicates a special section to the emerging generation of Chinese architects: Zhang Ke of standardarchitecture, Atelier Zhanglei, MAD, MADA s.p.a.m. and URBANUS.

AD New Urban China (Sept/Oct 2008).

Editorial (Helen Castle).

Introduction.

′Leaping Forward, Getting Rich Gloriously, and Letting a Hundred Cities Bloom′ (Laurence Liauw).

The Taxonomy of Contemporary Chinese Cities (We Make Cities): A Sampling (Jiang Jun).

The Institutional and Political Background to Chinese Urbanisation (Sun Shiwen).

Urbanisation in Contemporary China Observed: Dramatic Changes and Disruptions (Huang Weiwen).

Urbanisation in China in the Age of Reform (Zhang Jie).

Leaving Utopian China (Zhou Rong).

The Chinese City: A Self–Contained Utopia (Neville Mars).

The People′s City′ (Wang Jun).

Street Life and the ′People′s City′ (Shi Jian).

Unknown Urbanity: Towards the Village in the City (Yushi Uehara).

Urban Villages (Meng Yan).

Post–Event Cities (Zhi Wenjun and Liu Yuyang).

Dongtan, China′s Flagship Eco–City: An Interview with Peter Head of Arup (Helen Castle).

After China: The World?

Three Perspectives on a Critical Question (Kyong Park, Laurence Liauw and Doreen Heng Liu).

Emerging Chinese Architectural Practice Under Development.

MADA s.p.a.m.

URBANUS Architecture & Design (Atelier Zhanglei).

standardarchitecture.

MAD (Laurence Liauw).

Chronology of Main Government Policies Affecting Urbanisation in China: 1970 2007 (Compiled by Sun Shiwen).

Interior Eye.

Steven Holl′s NYU Philosophy (Jayne Merkel).

Building Profile.

The Bluecoat (David Littlefield).

Practice Profile.

CJ Lim/Studio 8 Architects: Through the Looking Glass (Howard Watson).

Architecture in China and the Meaning of Modern (Edward Denison).

Userscape.

Light: Between Architecture and Event (Valentina Croci).

Yeang′s Eco–Files.

Ecomasterplanning (Ken Yeang).

Spiller′s Bits.

Drawing Strength From Machinery (Neil Spiller).

McLean′s Nuggets (Will McLean).

Lawrence Liauw is an Associate Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. A UK registered architect practising in the UK, Malaysia, Mainland  China and now in Hong Kong, he trained at the Architectural Association, London, with Alejandro Zaera–Polo and Farshid Moussavi of Foreign Office Architects. His main area of research is in Asian urbanism and parametric design, through research publications, professional practice and design competitors.