Seems the opportunity to create something new has been lost to shortsightedness about what cities should look like. So sad for China’s leadership. “The idea is to create a new “high ground for innovation”, but one that is for now entirely driven by the Party State, and by state capital. Even as SOEs have been seen and are generally thought to be much less innovative than private firms, Xi’s vision clearly has a big role for SOEs as drivers of China’s push for self sufficiency in advanced technologies in the face of Western export controls and declining foreign investment.”
I enjoy China's urban planning exhibition halls, too, but I think they're useful more for understanding the overall image the government is seeking to project of the city than for understanding what the city is actually like on the ground.
Based on what I can see on Google Earth, it looks like much of the urban fabric of Xiong'an has already been laid out. I'd love to see an account of what it's like to actually walk Xiong'an's streets. When I zoom in on Google Earth to look at how the streets of Xiong'an are laid out, I see the same mistakes (i.e. intersections that prioritize fast car movements at the expensive of pedestrian safety) that are common in all newish urban districts all over China repeated yet again. That seems like a huge missed opportunity. This city may have "smart city" wiring, but it does not appear to be very smart in its street design. I guess the city's designers expect that everyone will just drive everywhere and no one will bother experiencing the city by foot, which is a shame because Old Beijing is a very walkable city.
Take for example the intersection of 海岳大街 and 白洋淀路 (39°02'33.65" 115°56'40.53"E). Imagine putting yourself in the shoes of a pedestrian trying to cross this behemoth on one of its crosswalks. It's a daunting prospect for the most able-bodied pedestrian, let alone someone of advanced age or physical disability.
thanks Matt! The streets in some of the new districts are actually narrower and there are better urban design features than typical Chinese superblocks. In general the Rongdong Area has smaller blocks than typical. But it is still similar in the sense of having monotonous residential blocks + retail podium arrangement. Some of the arterial streets are still quite wide, and there are a few underground tunnels in the Rongdong Area. Maybe I will do a post on walking aroune Xiong'an (I have quite a few pics of the streets if you'd like I can send you).
I like to use Baidu Maps' "Street View" feature to tour Chinese streets virtually when it's available, but so far it's not available in Xiong'an. I actually notice that some of the streets in Xiong'an looked better designed (smaller dimensions, tighter curb radii, shorter crosswalks) than others.
Interesting update on a project that seemed to be going nowhere. I just learnt recently that Indonesia is also moving its administration from Jakarta to Nusantara. They have different imperatives, saving the city from flood is a much bigger motivator than a pet project from a leader. But it would be interesting to see how they both proceed and if they will succeed.
Seems the opportunity to create something new has been lost to shortsightedness about what cities should look like. So sad for China’s leadership. “The idea is to create a new “high ground for innovation”, but one that is for now entirely driven by the Party State, and by state capital. Even as SOEs have been seen and are generally thought to be much less innovative than private firms, Xi’s vision clearly has a big role for SOEs as drivers of China’s push for self sufficiency in advanced technologies in the face of Western export controls and declining foreign investment.”
I enjoy China's urban planning exhibition halls, too, but I think they're useful more for understanding the overall image the government is seeking to project of the city than for understanding what the city is actually like on the ground.
Based on what I can see on Google Earth, it looks like much of the urban fabric of Xiong'an has already been laid out. I'd love to see an account of what it's like to actually walk Xiong'an's streets. When I zoom in on Google Earth to look at how the streets of Xiong'an are laid out, I see the same mistakes (i.e. intersections that prioritize fast car movements at the expensive of pedestrian safety) that are common in all newish urban districts all over China repeated yet again. That seems like a huge missed opportunity. This city may have "smart city" wiring, but it does not appear to be very smart in its street design. I guess the city's designers expect that everyone will just drive everywhere and no one will bother experiencing the city by foot, which is a shame because Old Beijing is a very walkable city.
Take for example the intersection of 海岳大街 and 白洋淀路 (39°02'33.65" 115°56'40.53"E). Imagine putting yourself in the shoes of a pedestrian trying to cross this behemoth on one of its crosswalks. It's a daunting prospect for the most able-bodied pedestrian, let alone someone of advanced age or physical disability.
thanks Matt! The streets in some of the new districts are actually narrower and there are better urban design features than typical Chinese superblocks. In general the Rongdong Area has smaller blocks than typical. But it is still similar in the sense of having monotonous residential blocks + retail podium arrangement. Some of the arterial streets are still quite wide, and there are a few underground tunnels in the Rongdong Area. Maybe I will do a post on walking aroune Xiong'an (I have quite a few pics of the streets if you'd like I can send you).
Thanks, Andrew. That would be great!
I like to use Baidu Maps' "Street View" feature to tour Chinese streets virtually when it's available, but so far it's not available in Xiong'an. I actually notice that some of the streets in Xiong'an looked better designed (smaller dimensions, tighter curb radii, shorter crosswalks) than others.
Interesting update on a project that seemed to be going nowhere. I just learnt recently that Indonesia is also moving its administration from Jakarta to Nusantara. They have different imperatives, saving the city from flood is a much bigger motivator than a pet project from a leader. But it would be interesting to see how they both proceed and if they will succeed.