WATERSCAPES. URBAN LANDSCAPE in MACAU WORKSHOP Guidelines MACAU_CHINA 2013

Transcription

1 WATERSCAPES URBAN LANDSCAPE in MACAU WORKSHOP Guidelines MACAU_CHINA 2013 WATERSCAPES - LANDSCAPE & TOURISM WORKSHOP MACAU MARCH 2013

2 INTRODUCTION This workshop is generated upon the research and the paradigm sustaining tourism and its relation towards the landscape. In any view of the landscape and in tourism generally, there is a multiplicity of insider and outsider meanings. It is impossible to separate tourism from issues of identity involving both the tourist and the receiving population. This argument stems from landscape s role as both locus of tourism and rectification of identity. Thus, just as a place s landscape is the built up consequences of a place s identity process, so tourism is also the practice of deciphering identity from clues in the landscape of a place. The local or different cultures and the way they have changed the landscape arouse the desire of knowledge of lived experience. The search generally occurs by an interest in meeting new landscapes, consisting not only the landscape itself, but for all that stages (the daily others, geographical settings, history, customs, for example). What arouses the curiosity of the visitor is just different, new, process imbued with historic and natural attributes. And the relationship man established with its surroundings. Tourists seek places that are revealed by landscapes, as they represent a link between the unusual and discovery. The space for the consumption of tourism are visual ones, tied to the world of images imposing the reduction/simplification and the simulacrum, and they reduce the appropriation as "goods for temporary use" as defined by the non work time. Somehow we can say that space is already a merchandising material. The study of landscape is a key factor for tourism. If, on the one hand, tourism needs a support to enable the development interesting, on the other, landscape needs to promote activities that give it value and enable its maintenance. Understanding the landscape implies an understanding of its evolution, development, dynamics and the potential for survival associated with natural and cultural values. THE RELEVANCE OF WATER Water affects the design of every building, site, and city in aesthetic, functional, and symbolic ways. This workshop will examine issues from water conserving to urban design, with an emphasis on the process of person place bonding. In addition to lectures and discussions, workshop participants will develop urban design proposals at the site and neighborhood scales informed by international precedents and practice. As the original water systems of cities are sometimes severely challenged by growing settlement patterns, the goal is not to repair it to their natural conditions, as that would not be possible, but to use such recently available territories in a manner that repairs the natural and significant forces of the water in the urban environment. Apart from presenting the universe in all its parts, in each cultural conception, more or less domesticated, the landscape also embodies an awareness of the world in that it allows the understanding of evolution, of change, of a synchronous experience of the "thing" called life. The natural landscape evolves and becomes in insensitive movements with ease, a "natural sense". In nature everything is understood: you always find an explanation or superstition. And it is this same "natural sense" that quiets all our doubts and becomes path reference and justification of experienced change. The designed landscape is a fragment of the universe but once its sensitive reality of landscape is rooted in the factual reality of the surroundings becomes the source of meaning for our environment. Macau s landscape, made of buildings and a few voids, in which public space could be a protagonist, allows us to structure, recognize and remember whom we are. In memorable experiences, space, matter and time fuse in a singular dimension: the basic substance of being that penetrates our consciousness. By identifying ourselves with this space, this matter, this moment, these dimensions become dimensions of our existence, constituting architecture as the art of integration or reconciliation between the world and ourselves. WATERSCAPES - LANDSCAPE & TOURISM WORKSHOP MACAU MARCH

3 A dialectical sense may emerge in a deeper look into Macau s lakes. The lakes are mirrors reflecting my image fused in the image of the world, I am better there where I'm not, but where I am truly, conscious, without complexes, I stare at me, I watch the world, and understand it better because I perceive my belonginess to it. I approach a bit further, vertigo invades my body, I want to dive, follow the circular motion of the water, to make me an other, to make me universe. This mirrors of water, a key element in the composition of landscape, experiments us this creative dialectic of appropriation and identity, and, after penetration through a narrow and well hidden door, invites us to an inward journey as an individual whole arose in a shared understanding, in co motion, one only emotion, one only motion of the universe. Suddenly our adventure inspires a new meaning by participating in this movement without mobile, changing without a thing that changes, an event first and foremost. Let the trees grow, in order to flower and bear fruit. Have you ever seen a kid throwing stones at a tree that bears no fruit? WATERSCAPES - LANDSCAPE & TOURISM WORKSHOP MACAU MARCH

4 MACAU WATERFRONT Located at the estuary of the West River, the harbors of Macau have to face the silting problems and to be dredged frequently. As early as the 1880s, the government already proposed a port development, although it was never carried out. When the new progressive regime came to power in Lisbon in 1910, the Portuguese government attempted to create a new image of their little colony in the Orient. At the same time, the shallow harbors became an obstacle to Macau s economy due to the difficulty of accommodating modern steamers. To modernize port facilities, the redevelopment of the Outer Harbor began in 1923 and its first phase was completed in 1930 by the Harbor Works Department of Macau. Almost the full stretch of the eastern shore was reclaimed, including the eastern end of the Praia Grande. However, the reclamation was terminated right in front of the Governor s Residence, probably because of a purely cultural and totally invisible border. WATERSCAPES - LANDSCAPE & TOURISM WORKSHOP MACAU MARCH

5 The first reclamation of the Praia Grande indicated the government s uncertain vision for this little Portuguese enclave that had been known as the City of the Name of God with its relaxing and introspective ambience. In fact, the Praia Grande after the reclamation produced a collage of political hesitation and cultural embarrassment. The collage was further distorted when the Hotel Lisboa was built on the reclaimed land in the late 1960s. Its striking image of a bright yellow birdcage boosted Macau s new fame of the Monte Carlo of the Orient. Since then, Macau s economy has heavily relied on the gambling industry. Despite the distorted image of the Praia Grande, the remained half of the crescent bay continued to entertain the Macanese with the pleasant experience of strolling along the sea under the arching banyan tree. However, this serene landscape was destroyed when the large scale reclamation was carried out in the 1990s. In 1991, the Macau government initiated the plan of reclaiming the Praia Grande, which was strongly supported by Stanley Ho who eventually owns most of the reclaimed land. The reclamation work started in 1995 and was completed with two hemispheric basins Nanwan Lake and Xiwan Lake. An expressway named after Stanley Ho was constructed to abut the Praia Grande Avenue. The reclaimed land around the two lakes was divided into five parcels for mixed use developments. Although efforts have been made to create new recreational spaces along the two artificial lakes, even the Tourism Bureau finds it hard to promote the Avenue Praia Grande, because the original landscape had been changed so much. People could not retrieve the experience of approaching Macau from the sea and enjoying the charming landscape with rich layers. Even worse, the construction of high rise buildings on the reclaimed land completely blocked the sea views of the UNESCO heritage sites facing the Outer Harbor, including the Chapel of Penha Hill, etc. In recent years, the disputes over the height control of buildings on the reclaimed land revealed the public concerns about their cultural history and collective memory. 1 1 Text adapted from Yu, Chen (2009). Transformation of Waterfront Space in Asian Cities: Macau, Hong Kong, Shaghai in The New Urban Question Urbanism beyond Neo Liberalism, The 4 th International Conference of the International Forum on Urbanism (IFoU) 2009 Amsterdam/Delft. _Yu_TransformationWaterfront.pdf, accessed online on 6 May WATERSCAPES - LANDSCAPE & TOURISM WORKSHOP MACAU MARCH

6 TOURIST GAZE AND THE WATERFRONT The tourist gaze in Macau has two main sides: Macau presented or branded by the city and the actual Macau experienced by citizens and tourists. These realities are fairly far from each other. The broachers righteously exploit the marvels of Macau such as the Old Portuguese legacy but as well the wonders of gambling and casinos. Although these are all characteristics worthy of appreciation and consumption, they lack the required degree of international mysticism to drive the international community. The reality of the tourist gaze in Macau is most of the time profiled by tourists looking for, above all, the possibility of encountering the excitement of urban stimuli subject to the casino areas. According to statistics, around 25 million tourists a year, these visitors are mainly passing by for casinos or on business purposes. They don t have the time or initial intentions to navigate the full extents of Macau in order to visit every site the city has to offer. Aside from its architectural marvels, museums and gastronomy, Paris is famous for its romantic stigma, just like Barcelona is famous, aside from similar splendor, for its relaxed idiosyncrasy and alternative culture. Whether for short or long stays, people often travel to these destinations not only looking forward to meet the promised expectations of such splendor, but to experience a vibrant urban culture as well. If branding a tourist product relies on the very qualities of the product, just like Sun & Beach Tourism depends on the natural and environmental qualities it has to offer, the question that arises is what type of urban culture can be offered by Macau waterfront? Is it developed enough to brand it? WORKSHOP Tourism is often used for the recovery of territories that are not fully utilized in order to foster different economic sectors; tourism as a productive landscape. In this particular case, the workshop locates the discussion of tourism in Macau and frames it as a productive urbanscape, able to help increase the repertory of urban activities towards both, visitors and citizens. Under the circumstances, this particular workshop is a brainstorm by nature. This workshop could be taken rather as an opportunity to explore less discussed territories and strategically open up topics at the same time. Workshop Tasks The workshop site will be the 3 artificial lakes of Macau; one of them is a water reserve. The task is to generate ideas and strategies for the waterfront of Macau peninsula. The workshop aims to understand how the process of appropriation and transformation of space by tourism and citiziens has become crucial since it enables us with the knowledge through the spatial changes that occurred, what, and how were the dynamics used in the formation of territories, hence the landscape, as well as its capability and recovery in different social contexts. It is intended to encourage a broad reflection, suggesting new ways for interpreting the landscape and aiming for the understanding of tourism development, in Macau, its relation to the landscape in order to establish turning points and changing patterns of occupation and transformation of the tourist landscape. This research seeks to contribute to a case study that explores the landscape as a key resource and seeks to understand its use, in order to get the most out through the observation in a real context. The workshop objective responds to the current awareness of the issue landscape and environmental intervention in the different disciplines that come together some directly involved with the aesthetic and technical aspects of the intervention, such as landscaping, architecture, urbanism, and others associated with civil engineering, agriculture and forestry and other scientific training in the fields of environmental science or planning, such as geography, economics, law, etc.. It is aimed at designing the intervention and protection planning, but also the transformation in natural and artificial landscapes. WATERSCAPES - LANDSCAPE & TOURISM WORKSHOP MACAU MARCH

7 METHODOLOGY OF THE WORKSHOP AND FRAMEWORK PRE STUDIO (until March) The pre studio phase is developed by each university partner (USJ, DA UAL,, PM, TU, XLYJU) prior to the workshop. It will consist on the preparation of examples and case studies from each university s country, where this dialectic landscape vs tourism and the waterfront is present. A presentation will be made by the tutors in the first day of the workshop, showing the case studies or research made. STUDIO (from 23 to 29 March) During the workshop, the studio will be organized in 6 groups of about 6/7 students assisted by 2 tutors each. Students from different schools will be asked to mix, creating international teams, with maximum of 2 students from the same university per team. SYMPOSIUM (29 March) Within the workshop, a half day symposium is organized consisting on conferences from renowned international speakers about the theme, as a critical thinking input both for the workshop participants as well as for local professionals and public in general. POST STUDIO (from April to July) Each tutor is responsible for producing 2 A1 panels with the outcome of the material generated in the workshop. The aim is to produce a book and create a small itinerant exhibition in the facilities provided by institutional partner facilities, OA, COAC, OAM, AAM. The first exhibition will be in Lisbon. WATERSCAPES - LANDSCAPE & TOURISM WORKSHOP MACAU MARCH

8 PARTNERS Organization University of Saint Joseph Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa Project Leaders Curators Diogo Teixeira Faculty of Creative Industries, University of Saint Joseph Pedro Campos Costa Departamento de Arquitectura, Universidade Autónoma Lisboa Workshop concept and design Pedro Campos Costa, Duarte Santo Scientific Comitee Mosé Ricci Matteo Poli Pedro Campos Costa Diogo Teixeira Thomas Fischer Wu Yao Conferences Cláudia Taborda Ma Yansong Universitá degli studi di Genova Departamento per L architettura Politécnico de Milano Departamento de Arquitectura, Universidade Autónoma Lisboa Faculty of Creative Industries, University of Saint Joseph Department of Architecture, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University School of Design, Jiangnan University QUT, Brisbane, and Standardarchitecture, Beijing MAD Office Beijing Tutoring and Critics Alessia Allegri Diogo Teixeira Duarte Santo Eduardo Pinto Luca Astorri Nancy Diniz Pedro Campos Costa Mateo Poli Mosé Ricci Ricardo Carvalho Thomas Daniell Thomas Fischer Wu Yao Zhong Ru USG Genova USJ, Macau UPC*, Barcelona ISA, Lisbon PM, Milan XJTLU, Xangai DA UAL, Lisbon PM, Milan USG, Genova DA UAL, Lisbon USJ, Macau XJTLU, Xangai TU, Xangai TU, Xangai Academic Partners USJ UAL USG PM TU XJTLU UNIVERSITY OF SAINT JOSEPH (Macau) UNIVERSIDADE AUTÓNOMA DE LISBOA (Portugal) UNIVERSITÁ STUDI DO GENOVA DEP. PER LA ARCHITETTURA (Itally) POLITÉCNICO DE MILANO (Italy) TSIANGNAN UNIVERSITY (China) XI'AN JIAOTONG LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY (China) WATERSCAPES - LANDSCAPE & TOURISM WORKSHOP MACAU MARCH

9 Institutional Partners (for post studio exhibition) OA Ordem dos Arquitectos Portugueses (Portugal) OAM Ordine degli Architetti, Pianificatori, Paesaggisti e Conservatori della Provincia di Milano (Italy) AAM Associação dos Arquitectos de Macau (TBC) WATERSCAPES - LANDSCAPE & TOURISM WORKSHOP MACAU MARCH

10 PARTICIPANTS USJ UNIVERSITY OF SAINT JOSEPH (Macau, China) 16 students + 2 tutors DA UAL UNIVERSIDADE AUTÓNOMA DE LISBOA (Portugal) 5 students + 2 tutors ETSAB UPC UNIVERSIDAD POLITÈCNICA DE CATALUNYA (Spain) 5 students + 2 tutors PM POLITÉCNICO DE MILANO (Italy) 5 students + 2 tutors TU TSIANGNAN UNIVERSITY (China) 5 students + 2 tutors XJTLU XI'AN JIAOTONG LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY (China) 5 students + 2 tutors WATERSCAPES - LANDSCAPE & TOURISM WORKSHOP MACAU MARCH