Shenzhen started as a fishing village but rapidly urbanized following its designation as a Special Economic Zone in 1980. It has since undergone three phases of development: 1) Archi Citta (pre-1960s): Scattered farming villages along the river. 2) Cine Citta (1980s): Residential areas emerged to house migrant workers and small industries. 3) Tele Citta (1990s-present): Widespread high-rise construction led to densification and skyline domination of tall buildings. Rapid growth has created social conflicts around use of public space and integration of rural and urban populations.

1. Shenzhen
Asis. Ammarapala Zhiying.Chen Hosung.Chun Mehuli.Shah Lara.Zhou

2. China Pearl River Delta
Shenzhen is located in the Pearl River Delta in China’s Guangzhou district. One of the fastest growing and
busiest cities, Shenzhen is situated north of Hong Kong.
Shenzhen

3. Shenzhen History + Morphology of the city
Tele Citta
Cine Citta
Archi Citta

4. farmlands fisherman’s village
Shenzhen started out as a fishing village with only thirty thousand people. These villages were scattered along the river.
Land Cultivation and farming also existed during this period.
1960 Fisherman’s Village/Land Cultivation

5. group pattern development for export
Shenzhen was made to be one of the First of the five Special Economic Zones of China. Shenzhen was developped at a
amazing pace since then. It was given the right of provincial-level economic administration.
1980 Shenzhen Economic Zone

6. expansion of the city and high rise construction
The construction illustrates the success of Capitalism with Chinese Character. The construction boom not only happened
in the city but in rural areas as well. Urban village was a result of major population involving into the urbanization process
and isolated from the social structure.
1994 Construction Boom and City Expansion

7. densification of the city by building up
As a city of Special Economic Zone, Shenzhen attracted the flow of migrants from the rest of China. Responding to its
population growth, city expansion shifted from the ground to the air.
2000 Densification and Increase in density due to migration of labor class

8. village in the city condition congestion of living space
The fast expansion of urban space and the model of modernization (sez) has led to new social conflicts. This change
challenges the city to rethink its future.
2005 Spatial transformation and Social Conflict

9. City Model

10. H3
H1
H2
Archi Citta = A+H1 H1
H3 H2 H3
H2
(1410 - 1979)
H2
H2
H3
H1
H2 H2
Tele Citta = H3/A
H2
(1990 - current)
Cine Citta = A+H2
City Model
(1980 - 1990)

11. Types of Public Space in Shenzhen
1. Shenzhen Civic Center
Shenzhen boundary
1
32 Luohu business district
Futian center district
2. Shenzhen Golf Club
1
2
3
3. Down Sha Urban Village

12. Shenzhen Civic Center : planned public space
Shenzhen is constructed based on “master plan” by shenzhen institution of urban design and research with a UK firm Llewe-
lyn-Davis. They designed a 250m wide park oriented in a south-north direction. Main traffic Shennan Road cut through
the site by an underground tunnel in order not to disturb the landscape.
a. westernized urban planning strategies
Howard’s garden city Functional Districts
New Town planning Landmark buildings
Linear Parks
Milton Keynes, UK
Civic Center, Shenzhen

13. b. imperial planning stragegies
Symmetric plans
Spacial logic of power
Axis planning
Northern Mountain as landscape
A1
H2
H1
H2 H2
A2 A2
H2
Beijing center Shenzhen center
A1

14. Lianhua Mountain Park
design by John Lee/Michael Timchula in 1997
Symbolic Architecture for citizens
Library Children’s
The Civic center architecture is designed with symbolic
Concert Center
Plaza
meaning such as national colors, traditional chinese cosmic
Hall
philosophy and high speed development. The architecture
style and name are chosen by political preference and politi-
Civic Center
cal attention: power and demorcracy.
Plaza
Green Lanscape
Disfunctional landscape
Large scale landscape does not create an amiable space for
Plaza
Hotels Hotels citizens. Lack of access, the scale and the design restrict
people from using the space.
Exi b i ti o n
Center
Existing Condition

15. Shenzhen Golf Clubs : Utopian Urban
China Golf Boom
After the cultural revolution, the his-
tory and culture were attempted to be
eradicated, hence golf courses, theme
parks and other picturesque settings
were more widely accepted.
The first golf course of China was estab-
lished in 1982. In 1994 there were just
villas surrounding the golf course
20 golf clubs which have reached to a
number of 200 currently.
The golf clubs accompany other elements like hotels, resort/rec-
reational areas, high rise developments, lakes, trees etc. It
is becoming the new model of urbanism in China.
Globalization accompanies the development of more golf clubs.
They aim to hold golf cups and championships in their golf
clubs in order to invite international golf celebrities like Tiger
Woods and Vijay Singh.
resort construction along the edge of the golf course
a typical golf course field in C chinese players from the elite class international players attending a golf tournament

16. Shenzhen Golf Clubs
One of the first golf clubs that were established in Shenzhen
was the Shenzhen Golf Club in 1985. This was before the Golf
Boom in China. Mission Hills Golf Club established itself in
1995 and brought to China many international tournaments
and world cups.
These golf clubs replaced many agricultural fields and became
a part of the hills in Shenzhen.

17. Shenzhen Golf Club
H3
The golf club is surrounded by villages, high rise buildings, the civic center and other
institutional and industrial programs
Tele Citta = H3/A+E
institutional light industrial civic center
high rise
Shenzhen Golf Club
village in the city
roads
high rise
village
other
water
civic center
greenery

18. Down sha urban village : pedestrian city
Urban village is a type of community inside the city. It is a result of resistance to the modern
urbanization by market-oriented development through spontaneous high-density development
by the villagers. They are a result of housing shortage and massive immigration caused by
rapid development of Shenzhen. These heterotopic elements are known to be negative
public spaces serving the middle/low income people by providing illegal living spaces and
services. The buildings are squeezed leaving a space of less than 2m. Commercial and social
services are self-sustained inside the urban village.

19. a. Archi Citta: traditional village gathering around ancestor temple in agriculture time, before 1960-70
ancestor building was important
landmark and the open space
in front of it is considered pulbic
space in the village
agriculture pattern
village housing
H1
Archi Citta = A+H1
Urban density
Population Social structure Ownership
Archi Citta generations of individual
100-200 =
+
famers

20. b.Cine Citta: residential area for immigrants and self-sustained industrial services
H2
H1
H2 H2
H2
Cine Citta = A+H2
ancestor building and open space
village housing
new village housing
industrial area
Urban density Population Social structure Ownership
generations of individual
100-200 =
+
Archi Citta famers
collective group
villagers/workers
+ =
200-300
Cine Citta of farmers

21. c. Tele Citta: renovated ancestor temple area, plaza and playground
H3
H2
H1
H3 H2 H3
H2
H2
H3 Tele Citta = H3/A
ancestor building and open space
densified housing
industrial area
new development of high-
rise residential building
new public space: plaza, shop-
ping mall, museum
lanes
Urban density Population Social structure Ownership
generations of individual
100-200 =
Archi Citta +
famers
collective group
villagers/work-
+ =
Cine Citta 200-300
of farmers
= villagers collective group
1000-3000 +
Tele Citta workers of farmers
white-collar work-

22. park street activiteis
ancestor temple playground
urban village city development New urban design strategies are cre-
ating new public codes for the private
private private urban village.
building/land: building:
public
land: