Beijing and I

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There are many things about Beijing that I'd like to write about. But my knowledge of the city is quite limited considering that it's been around for thousands of years. It's a city with a history so rich that it would need it's own Beijingpedia site to capture the fullness of its character. Of course, I'm not here to tell you about Beijing, but rather my experiences with the people and places I visit.

Why am I here? (that's a question I often ask myself!) Officially, I'm here as an intern working for the China Academy of Urban Planning & Design through a program they have with the University of Southern California. China's population can be described in one word: developing - and in every sense of the word. The average Chinese family today compared to a decade ago is pursing higher education at an unprecedented rate, and many are finally witnessing the reality of disposable income.

Whereas China's traditional model of city planning had been left to local governments within each province, the Information age has transformed city planning into a more centralized endeavor. This endeavor requires China's notoriously strict, centralized government to be ever more domineering in their control over Chinese land - all of which is state owned.

This is a shock to some American urban planners who believe in a "down-up" approach that stresses community involvement and property rights. After all, what is true freedom if one cannot possess his or her own land? Some believe that the right to land ought to be bundled with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Well - the Chinese are quite different in their thinking. For starters, the Chinese mantra stresses building with the earth, rather than on the earth.

But are these differences simply a conflict of values..and if so, why do these disparaties exist in the place?
What is land and what does it really represent, and more important, who has the ultimate possession over this finite resource and the riches that resonate from earth?

And my personal inquiry is this - how does the human race reconcile its (ab)use of nature to sustain the urban lifestyle?

These are some of the questions I hope to answer while in Beijing. I only have 2.5 months so let the journey begin.

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Comments

[Dafne]

where them photos at?
Come on Jeff, you gotta up your blogging game haha!! But seriously, I like the insight. Every day is an adventure in BJ!!