Farhani, Daniyal;
(2024)
Acupuncture for a Disciplined Urban Realm: The Case of Sanyuanli Urban Village, Guangzhou.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
Preview |
Text
Farhani__thesis.pdf - Other Download (154MB) | Preview |
Abstract
The Chinese economic reform of 1978 triggered a movement for development and urbanisation that consumed towns and farms via top-down masterplans and led to the creation of complex enclaves labelled urban villages. As these villages grew complex through informal processes and appropriation, they revealed a mode of urbanism otherwise obscured in organised and planned urban places. Complex heterotopic spaces and informal qualities render Sanyuanli Urban Village a contingent relief node of activity and vibrancy in a disciplined cityscape. The village provides inexpensive and flexible spaces for migrant workers to integrate into the city. In return, spaces evolve and mature through a reprogramming system of spatial uses and ongoing appropriation processes. These places have creative, vibrant, inclusive communities with atmospherically rich urban spaces. Nevertheless, city authorities are often determined to demolish them for less complex development models. Insights into Sanyuanli’s processes may contribute to new design and development models that respond to changing conditions and alter the rigid approach to masterplanning in the Asian context. Urban studies by way of design, particularly those that analyse and model complex informal urban villages, are limited in the Asian context. This dissertation is informed by empirical findings, spatial analysis, mapping and modelling of varying conditions in the past twelve years. It analyses the operation of the village through varying theoretical models, among which A Theory of Good City Form by Kevin Lynch and Of Other Spaces by Michel Foucault are used as key theoretical concepts. By combining and applying the existing knowledge to a new context and in a new set of circumstances and by highlighting Sanyuanli’s obscured urban qualities, the dissertation aims to justify a view that such villages should not be replaced with formalised urbanscape.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Acupuncture for a Disciplined Urban Realm: The Case of Sanyuanli Urban Village, Guangzhou |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2024. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| Keywords: | Acupuncture Urbanism, Sanyuanli Urban Village, Urban Atmosphere, Architectural Atmosphere, Informal Urbanism |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > The Bartlett School of Architecture |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10186247 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
