Project of architecture and city in China

Objective
The lectures are going to discuss the current situations of the Chinese urban planning and architecture, which is different from the European and American cases. The contemporary Chinese city shape is made of the interaction of several urban planning images: the ambition to be the most modern form of urban modernization, the ambition to be Chinese respecting the traditional values of Chinese culture, the ambition to be oriented /addressed/ aimed to be a social development.
The course will introduce and review panoramically the phenomena of Chinese urban planning and architecture, which could introduce the students to the a picture of the interaction of these features in the chines context.
Lessons, discussions and exam (presentation) will be in English.

Subject
Starting from the cases study, the lessons will introduce and discuss projects and the relative debates in the contemporary society. For some contemporary cases there will be an historical review of the problems in Chinese context.
To reveal and understand these phenomena, the lectures will discuss the tradition system and contemporary phenomephon of Chinese urban planning, the relation between the ancient city and new city, the Argument of “Chinese and Modern”; the Urban Planning History of Chinese Cities; The Transformation of Chinese Cities; China’s urbanization; Chinese countryside; Chinese Contemporary Architects; Dwelling with Chinese Courtyard Building Architecture; traditional Chinese Garden and Landscape; “Copycat” +”Tradition”; question the identity of Chinese cities; Chinese Railway Station between Architecture and City, etc.

The research will be developed by group with 2-3 students. The exam constitutes a 10-15 min vocal presentation and a research essay (within 1500 words).
The topic, which can be chosen by the students themselves, might be a study of a Chinese architect, a specific Chinese city, a foreign architect/studio 's work in China, or comparison research between a Chinese architect/building and a foreign one.

The themes of research should be chosen from the following argument: Beautiful Countryside - Village and structure in view of planning;  Ideal model and City foundation;  City of Power (totalitarianism, model of Beaux-Arts, City Beautiful movement);  Copycat – the relation to the tradition;  Enclosed building- The meaning of courtyard. China and Europe; Colonial quarter. Yesterday and today; Dimension of block and zoning system between China and Italy; Chinese architecture and modernism. The other proposals of topics should be discussed with professor.