"Rubble Street" to Zhenhua Road.

A brief illustration of construction in Shenzhen.

Zhenhua Rd. is a three lane road with wide sidewalks just around the corner from the UPDIS offices. In order to build out the Yannan Metro Station on the Shekou line, this portion of Zhenhua was ripped up and replaced. Yannan Station was already operational when I arrived (I can't imagine the chaos during that phase of construction), so in just a few weeks Andy and I have seen what we had affectionately had deemed "Rubble Street" be restored to a once again bustling business corridor.

Upon arrival (July 6).

And repaved (July 19) with people (myself included) still treating it like a Pedestrian Street.

How to Look Cool on a Bike in Shenzhen

Sorry about the delay, folks. The internet has been really picky lately here in the People's Republic, and Work Obligations have really picked up lately.

Excuses, excuses. Where were we? Right. Now that you've rented a bike, what is there to do?

You can put a bunch of stuff on it, of course:

But maybe you should leave that to the styrofoam wranglers of Rubble Street. No, I recommend you head toward the OCT Art Enclave, your typical warehouse-cum-hipsterville full of designer's studios selling found art with birds (or bloody hearts?) on it.

And then pop down to the brand new waterfront greenway! Until the British handed Hong Kong back to China, this area was patrolled by military vehicles to keep people from swimming out of the country. Don't worry, they've got hidden cameras to catch deserters now. This is Jerry, and he helped design it. I think. Regardless, he's cool, even if he does wear a helmet and ride a crazy belt-drive folding bike.

Proper attire is very important:

You'll know you've done it right when others want the moment they were near you to be captured in time and hung upon their mantle!

And try to find this thing, why not.

I have nothing funny to say about this last photo. Enjoy!

Small Victories

True fact: You can rent bikes in Shenzhen for about 25 cents a day. Here's how!

1. Search the internet for "Shenzhen bike rental." For best results, use the finding-a-plausible-set-of-characters-via-Google-Translate technique.
2. Have your Chinese roommate (who speaks a little English) call them and see what the deal is.
3. Upon discovering that it is indeed a real company, head to the business park where you believe their office might be. It doesn't look that big on the map, really. I'm sure you'll find it.
4. Wander for a bit. Upon finding what is surely a locked-up kiosk full of tiny bikes, call the number your roommate gave you for Mr. Zhao. Give them the name of the building you're sweltering under and say "I'd like to rent a bicycle" in English and unintelligible Chinese. Repeat as necessary. Eventually, they might transfer your call to someone who can speak a little of the Queen's Tongue. Do your best to explain your whereabouts and desires.
5. Have a McFlurry or something while you wait, hoping someone will come to where you are and rent you a bicycle.
6. Realize that this is not going to happen and begin looking for other places where a bicycle kiosk might be. There will be several, all in out-of-the-way places, and all closed.
7. As you realize that this Hi-Tech Park is far too large to be searched thoroughly on foot and prepare to give up this snark hunt, you will receive a text message with an address that you can show to the delivery guys, auto mechanics, and wealthy businessmen you see. Become encouraged when they all point in more or less the same direction.
8. Praise the Gods, old and new! Off in the hazy distance there's a little shack with bicycles out front! Watch elation turn to dread as you realize the man staffing the kiosk speaks no English, and his forms are entirely in Chinese characters.
9. Take a slow breath. You are so close. But this is a rather more complex transaction than ordering barbecue with grunts and finger-pointing (which you are so good at, by the way). You must now draw upon the bike karma you've earned in Portland and your local guanxi and get someone who speaks Chinese to interpret your desires to this man. Watch your phone's battery level drop precariously low as you telephone everyone who has ever offered to help you out with translation in China.
10. Success! Ali's incredible friend Nick and his incredible Girlfriend are on the line to help you! Make sure you understand what is happening. 200RMB for a deposit. Fair enough. One hour for 3RMB and one day for 15RMB? That's a steal! One month for 30RMB? Are you serious? Is anyone even making money here? Who do these guys rent to, anyway? And why is this service only offered in the Hi-Tech Park?
11. Stop asking questions! Just give the man his money, scrawl what you suspect is the information he wants on his form, and ride off into the sunset! Be sure to thank everyone who helped make this successful transaction possible. And remember, now you owe them one. Such are the rules of guanxi.

For reals, though: www.fqbike.com

There are four locations in the Tian An Cyber Park area. We had success at the Tian Parking Service Point station. It is located on the side of that building that looks exactly like all those other buildings, near that road that smells funny.

Stay tuned for part 2: How to Look Cool on a Bike in Shenzhen

Bike+Ped Planning in the Provincial Village of Portland, Oregon.

Caroline and I gave a big presentation about bicycle and pedestrian planning today.  Promotional posters were distributed, e-mails were sent, and most of CAUPD Shenzhen was there.  It went really well and there was a lot of great discussion.  We showed a short video about Portland!  Also, Jolly Ranchers candy was distributed.

We got to present in the main conference room/salsa studio on the top floor of our building. They even gave us microphones just like the ones they use in NBA post-game interviews.

We talked, among other things, about the Mt. Hood Freeway, bioswales, bicycle boulevards, 20-minute neighborhoods, and complete streets.  We conducted spot surveys on mode choice (only one SOV commuter, impressive!), and tried to figure out who in our audience was a "strong and fearless" bike rider and who was more of the "interested but concerned" type.

Comparisons were made between Shenzhen's bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and our own. There are a lot of great cycle tracks, but sometimes sidewalks double as parking spaces. Maybe they take the term multi-use path more literally than we do?

Green Building, Good Meeting.

Last week I was invited to attend an UPDIS project meeting at the Shenzhen Institute of Building Research (IBR) headquarters in the Futian District of the city. The building not only houses the sustainable architecture and engineering firm, but they built the showcase piece themselves.

After the meeting our team was given a guided tour of the site. IBR is about 20 stories with a 12 story outdoor atrium on the upper floors. The cut-away design of the courtyard allows natural daylight to penetrate deep into the interior of the building. An employee shared with me that the bi-level office suites create an interactive workplace that make collaboration easy. The upper-story outdoor decks, small playground and rooftop gardens all offer beautiful views of the surrounding lush hills and are kept cool by natural breezes.

Other sustainable design features of IBR include:

− Natural ventilation system, featuring adjustable windows

− Personalized ventilation distribution, under seats in auditorium, through tubes at each desk

− Solar photovoltaic panels
− Rain water collection, grey-water recycling and zero discharge of waste water
− Day lighting in underground parking garages through skylights
− Locally sourced building materials

− A program to encourage employees to take the stairs that involved dropping multi-colored pebbles into buckets and monthly prizes (an employee told me the popularity waned after the first year)

− And I am sure many more that were literally lost in translation

My only concern about the true “greenness” of IBR is the site selection of the building. Its hillside location made for great views of the Shenzhen skyline, but the surrounding land uses are no more than 2-3 stories and looked like functional industrial operations. Maybe this area is targeted for future development and added density? (Which in entirely possible!) But as of right now IBR seems out of place.

Overall it was great to be included in this project meeting and tour, even if the meeting was conducted entirely in Mandarin! Experiencing the dynamics and formalities of two firms working together is always interesting. Some things were the same (technical difficulties with projectors and conference callers) and others different (hot tea and warm snacks refilled throughout) than typical meetings in the States. I was even introduced to a University of Oregon Landscape Architecture student who has the luxury of staying onsite in one of the IBR visiting scholar live-work units during her internship.

More glamour shots here.

Coaster Raiders

Shenzhen is a rapidly developing place - a fact that does not escape its residents. People here are acutely aware of Shenzhen's constant state of flux and they readily acknowledge that, as a singular urban entity, they know very little about the city they call home. One of my co-workers recently described the average Shenzhener's experience as home, work, and the few blocks surrounding each metro station. The areas in-between are only familiar to those who happen to live there and they might never even venture across the nearest arterial to an adjacent neighborhood. This sense of isolation in a vast urban agglomeration has prompted some in the creative community so explore what it means to live in Shenzhen.

Last weekend the Shenzhen interns (plus Alison's friend Nick) went on an adventure to visit Coaster Raid; an art installation that deals with this topic. A revolving exhibit, Coaster Raid attempts to make sense of the rapidly changing patchwork of places and neighborhoods that make up Shenzhen. Every six months or so, a group of nine creative professionals: designers, architects, photographers, etc. gather at a local bar to kick off a new Coaster Raid. Okay, I know what you're thinking: what's up with that name? It's called Coaster Raid because, after a few beverages, someone throws a coaster onto a map of Shenzhen as a way of randomly selecting a new area of interest. Pretty great, right? Below is a map with all of the Coaster Raids to date. We visited the exhibit for Bao'an, a seemingly unremarkable working-class neighborhood on Shenzhen's west coast near the airport.

Over the course of several months, the group of Coaster Raid participants assembles their impressions of the area of interest through various media which are then presented to the public. These revolving exhibitions reveal a story seldom told about out-of-the-way places in Shenzhen. They explore socioeconomic divides, uncover interesting places, and get local residents involved and thinking about where their neighborhood fits into the bigger picture of Shenzhen.

The exhibit was located in an awesome artists' community in Bao'an that was recently converted from an industrial park. Its alleyways and small creative spaces, home to design and architectural firms, would have been right at home in Portland's Pearl district.

There were a lot of really great pieces that illustrated the juxtaposition between Bao'an's recent history as a fishing community and the break-neck pace of development in recent years. I especially liked the leftmost photo collage below, which pieces together all of the different commercial building signage in the neighborhood. Look closely and you might see some familiar businesses being advertised.

The main theme that the Bao'an Coaster Raid explored was the gap between the old and new portions of the neighborhood. Divided both physically (by a river) and culturally (established residents vs. recent immigrants), Bao'an suffers from a lack of neighborhood cohesion. In order to engage residents, 5 target sites were chosen from both the old and new areas and 5 citizens from each area were asked to participate in a dialogue regarding their perceptions of the 10 target sites and Bao'an as a whole.

If you can't tell, I really liked the Coaster Raid exhibit. I think it's a great idea that challenges people to think about their community in a broader urban context. It takes lesser known places and puts them under a microscope to figure out what makes them tick. Best of all, it engages residents, encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, and allows participants to be creative. Would I like to see something like this happen in the Portland metro region? Of course! Am I willing to take the initiative to assemble a group of free-thinking visionaries to lead the first Portland Coaster Raid (name negotiable)? Vehemently, yes! Am I being serious? Probably! If anyone is interested in learning more, let me know...you can also visit the Coaster Raid website for more information.

Shenzhen Melting Pot

Fourth of July is all about BBQ's, blistering heat, and fireworks. When you're in China, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Like Alex mentioned, Jerry very kindly offered to take us out for dinner to celebrate our national holiday. Let's just say the Obama's are a talented family-his half brother's BBQ was incredible! Jerry and his wife Nancy took us out with another married CAUPD couple (apparently love blooms over Comprehensive Plans). Between the 6 of us there was enough food to feed the Continental Congress (rimshot!). Grilled oysters, chicken liver, green onions, potato, fish, lamb, eggplant, and a host of other grilled items I either couldn't identify or can't remember in my current food coma.


A google image search of our dinner at Cabin BBQ.

Beyond the food, the conversation quickly turned to planning topics-starting with the location we were eating in. Shenzhen is a young city, but that doesn't mean the city hasn't seen its share of transition. Early on (read: 1980's) this area was a resort community & amusement park for visiting Hong Kong residents. Shenzhen is a city with a lot of kitsch and the Honey Lake/Xiangmihu area is no exception. A huge castle, an "original copy" of ancient Chinese architecture, and an (inoperable) roller coaster over the lake are still defining characteristics of this area.


Slightly dusty photos from Xiangmihu's hey-day

When the area fell on hard times, pieces of the resort were sold off and turned into gravel parking lots and used car dealerships. Slowly as the area around Xiangmihu grew, the old resort started seeing a number of temporary uses crop up . Most being little restaurants on short term leases filling in the spaces along the "old" castle wall, or turning parking lots into outdoor seating for restaurants.

Today this area feels like a full blown food festival busting at the seams. It was full of folks getting together with friends and colleagues over dinner in these temporary restaurants, enjoying the time of day when it was finally comfortable to sit outside. Jerry mentioned that sometime soon the area will need to have a plan for redevelopment-the land is centrally located and might be seen as too valuable to continue on with some temporary uses and car lots. However, its centrality and prominence within the city make it an important place for residents and so he thought that any plan that came along would be a challenging one to craft.

It's wonderful to be able to get tidbits of a young city's history from the residents themselves. This is a city in transition and I sense it is working to find ways to incorporate a shared Chinese culture while maintaining the distinct elements all the "immigrants" coming to live, work, and build Shenzhen bring with them. Food seems to be one important way of holding onto these cultural identities. For all it's oddities and eccentricities I hope some of the kitsch remains behind and elements of this uniquely Shenzhen space live on in any future planning effort. Shenzhen has more than it's share of air-conditioned malls, food courts, and international bar streets, while this area feels like a place locals can go and enjoy a smorgasbord of food from all corners of China...and the BBQ of a U.S./Kenya citizen.

***

Mark Obama Ndesandjo, owner of Cabin BBQ, wrote a nice little piece about Shenzhen culture and development here.

The Office

One of the best things about being an intern at CAUPD is experiencing a typical Chinese workday.  Here in Shenzhen, ours starts at 8:30 AM on the 26th floor of the Beijing Bank Building in Futian District.  Located in a busy commercial zone along Shennan Road, the building experiences its own internal rush hour every morning.  If you arrive between 8 and 9 AM, check your personal space at the door and queue up, because you are about to get shoved into an elevator with about 30 other people!

Once at the office, however, we are greeted by an oasis of calm.  The CAUPD office was designed by a Hong Kong-based architecture firm and is definitely the nicest place I have ever worked.  It occupies the top three floors of the building with a massive lobby and rooftop garden.  Each floor houses two of the six studios that comprise the branch and feature bright open cubicle areas and common work/gathering spaces.  Caroline and I work only steps away from each other on the 27th floor (studios 4 and 3, respectively).  The atmosphere is super creative and the place is littered with maps, diagrams, and scale models of cities that probably haven't even been built yet.

Liang Hao (Jerry), the director of studio 3 and my boss, is really awesome dude and he has gone to great lengths to make sure we are up to speed with what is going on at the branch.  The other day he gave us a great presentation about Shenzhen, and he has really helped us get our bearings in this crazy new work environment.

Probably the best thing about working in a Chinese office is how regimented your day is.  Lunch is from 11:30AM to 12:30PM followed by tea hour and then nap time when all the lights in the office are turned off.  Then at 4PM we have patriotic calisthenics time which involves a gymnastics instructor barking exercise commands over the office loudspeaker while a military march plays in the background.  Finally, we end the work day with afternoon fruit time which features colorful toothpicks and a different kind of fruit each day.

Disclaimer: I should probably mention that, even though the way I've described the Chinese work day seems to leave very little time for actual work, people often stay long past the official quitting time of 6pm and pull really long hours.  Chinese planners work REALLY hard.

To Be Rich Is Glorious

Greetings from Shenzhen, everyone!  I've only been here since Wednesday and I can already tell this is going to be an awesome summer.  Shenzhen is like no place I've ever been before, and with over 14 million inhabitants it's one huge, loud, vibrant, Chinese party 24 hours a day.  

There are new things being built on every corner and it seems like construction crews work non-stop on new high-rises, public plazas, and infrastructure projects.  I'm not joking when I say that every morning on my way to work, I notice newly constructed things that definitely were not there the night before.   The other day on the way to the office, I saw two landscapers putting in trees in a pedestrian mall.  Less than two hours later they had planted around 100 of them, and by lunch they had installed  a new overhead lighting system and put in maybe 30 free-standing kiosks.  Caroline and I have a running joke that one day we'll get back from work to find a new cineplex where our hotel used to be.

Deng Xiaoping once said, "Poverty is not socialism.  To be rich is glorious."  As China's most affluent city and first Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Shenzhen is the embodiment of this statement.  14 million people live here, and I'm pretty sure at least 13 million of them love to shop.  Shenzhen is proud of this fact, and multistory mega-malls seem to exist on almost every block.  On weekends Shenzheners pack the metro and head out to places with names like Louhou Commercial City, Coco Park, and King Glory Plaza.  Today Caroline and I decided to go out and experience this Shenzhen specialty and it did not disappoint.  We saw arcades full of Chinese gamer kids, silly graphic t-shirts, and hoards of people looking to spend their hard-earned yuan.  Capitalism is alive and well in China.

In other news, I got a bike (on loan) from a co-worker (thanks Mr. Ke)!  It's comically small and foldable, which seems to be the most popular type of bike among Shenzheners.  Though I haven't had too many opportunities to ride it, I hope to use it on my morning commute on Monday.  I wonder when the next critical mass is?

There's so much more to share, including the first few days at the office, but I'll save that for a later post.  Also, get ready to hear about Macau because Caroline and I are headed there tomorrow.  I'm putting 100 yuan on red, because apparently it's good luck in China.  Zàijiàn!


-Alex