By Peiwen Yu Being a creative, I sometimes suffer from “originality syndrome” as many of my fellow designers do. It feels harder and harder to create unique and insightful designs I’ve never seen before. Nowadays, the lack of innovation due to commercial survival is quite common in the marketplace. There are so many inspiring ideas …
Placemaking Originality for More Memorable Cities Read More »
By Peiwen Yu Ever since the pandemic lockdown impacted global cities, people have speculated the possible new reality dense cities will face, and the turns of how public spaces may be designed and used. Will cities still be fun for everyone to enjoy and present a collective future for humanity? Some projection says that by …
By Peiwen Yu When one door closes, a window opens. The stillness of the world during pandemic shutdown offers a magical moment of pause. When the world slows down, we have the time and brain bandwidth to reflect, explore, reconnect, and reevaluate some of the important things in life and work. The coronavirus pandemic …
Every Day is Earth Day – Navigating the New Realities Read More »
By Peiwen Yu When the owner of MedEx Pharmacy & Compounding first took over the business, the pharmacy’s interior space offers no different impression than any other typical drug stores – expressionless salesperson standing at the counter window in front of the compounding room, rows of shelves filled with messy medicines and groceries, hardly …
Taste of Youth – Curating Branding Experience by Design Read More »
By Peiwen Yu Are hand-drawn sketches a lost art? Hand drawing is still very much alive and kicking. It remains the most fluent and unhindered way to transmit what is in the designer’s imagination to the physical world. My starting point of developing any design idea has to be hand drawings. Drawing is a conversation …
By Peiwen Yu What drives people to travel a long way to see the world? To me, it is the curiosity to discovering what life is really like in another place first hand. The secret of getting most out of travel is to experience life as the locals do, seeing the world through unfamiliar eyes. …
Three Travel Tales Read More »
By Peiwen Yu why post-industrial cities? And how do we renew the dynamism of modern urbanity in the postindustrial era? This photo essay is my attempt to demonstrate the benefits of adaptive reuse design thinking for urban development, the community, and the environment. After having experienced those post-industrial places photographed, and personally directed a number …
Wenzhou Tech City Postindustrial Waterfront: resonates with the memory of the place By Peiwen Yu As a city historically known for its vibrant Commerce, charming landscapes and cultural heritages, Wenzhou is undergoing an urban transformation towards upgraded industrial structure and renewed lifestyle. Situated at the south-eastern coast along East China Sea, one of the densest …
Can urban public space revitalize culture in the next wave of urbanization? Read More »
Narrative by Peiwen Yu Suzhou Huamao Center (Gusu-Li) mixed-use complex is envisioned to be the next cultural landmark in Suzhou’s old town, which houses many world cultural heritage sites. Occupied 9.5 ha of precious urban land next to Shang-Tang Canal, the 1.27 billion USD development will be the newest lifestyle destination with retails, office, and …
Fast City, Slow Water – The story of Gusu-Li Read More »
By Peiwen Yu In an age of technology that so often produces simulated reality at the expense of the real, how do we design American and global cities to be smarter and more enjoyable to live in? As a landscape architect and city builder, I am convinced the urban places we inhabit shape us, acknowledging …
Designing Places for Authentic Cities: Transformation of a Postindustrial Waterfront Read More »
The Urban Transformation, China Dream, and an Urban Planning Strategy This essay is an attempt to comprehend the “new urbanization” (新型城镇化) put forward by Chinese central government as an important national strategy for the next decades – what it means to a new typology of economy, the upgrading of industrial structure, reform of social benefits …
The Urban Transformation, China Dream, and an Urban Planning Strategy Read More »
Photo Essay by Peiwen Yu Craving adventure, once in a lifetime experiences and culture, I had wanted to visit African safari and witness one of the top wonders of nature world – wildlife migration. In this July, I finally made the trip to Kenya! My imaged-reality of Africa was largely made of stories including the …
In an age of technology that so often produces simulated reality at the expense of the real, how do we design American and global cities to be smarter and more enjoyable to live in? Today’s technology and artificial intelligence has amplified the power of humans significantly. However, human feelings will never been delivered through a …
Walking the Path vs. Knowing the Path – Designing Places for Authentic Cities Read More »
If you’re happy, does reality matter? Happiness is subjective, not objective. Prosperity and wealth help, but definitely not the only things that matter to happiness. By visiting some of the most vital urban places in La Habana, Cuba, I was deeply impressed by the mixture of charms offered by this unique city with both history …
City of Revolution, City of Evolution – Learning from La Habana, a People Centered City Read More »
By sharing the following two stories in the beginning of the New Year, I hope to explore environment and culture-friendly models of urbanization, towards more sustainable, memorable and vital communities, with the renewed power of design. Around the Christmas and New Year holiday seasons, I was visiting and living in the heart of metropolitan Beijing. While …
Inherit the Culture and Re Imagine the Cities Read More »
We at RenChi Space are excited to see Hutong Children’s Library and Art Center selected as one of the winners of this prestigious award. It transformed a crowded and messy Hutong courtyard into a refreshing and vibrant community space, envisioning a new use of traditional housing units at the dense core of modern metropolitan. See all winners of Aga …
2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture Winners Announced Read More »
In mega cities with millions of residents, public places with life and vibrancy are commonly expected. Observing dynamics in a high desert small town with only 2000 people could be more fun, for it may lead to better insight into what created RenChi attraction in the large canvas of natural landscape. Located between the Davis Mountains and Big …
Observing Marfa RenChi Read More »
Renchi Space is excited to learn about the massive recycled steel installation at 2016 Venice Biennale’s main venue curated by People’s architect Alejandro Aravena (2016 Pritzker Prize Winner). The architect’s body of work and TED talk demonstrated tremendous value on social impact work through architectural practice, an approach emphasizing both intelligence and intuition in design process, …
Narrative by Peiwen Yu (Publication of this article approved by Shenzhen Nanshan Urban Management Bureau client) Shenzhen, one of China’s fastest urbanizing megacities, would be unlivable without its parks, squares, waterfront promenades, and green mountains. As the first Special Economic Zone China Established in 1980, the city placed itself on the frontier of domestic reform …
Shekou Mountain Park – Interpret History and Connect Dots for a Future City Read More »
— Edge, Complexity and Informality in shaping places for 528 Art Village What makes a charming traditional city moving forward in the global era while keeping its memories of place? I believe in the resilience of its social energy. It is what makes a city healthy and competitive, and often has little to do with …
Remaking Chengdu Lifestyle Read More »
When it comes to quality of life, are people really better off in cities? As the world is entering the Urban Age, Americans are moving to cities in ever increasing numbers. But in what speed and scale average American suburban oriented cities may embrace the idea of density, more integrated land use, creative tension between …
The Post Industrial Urban Future – Baton Rouge 2050 Read More »
By Peiwen Yu “Really, tactical urbanism is how most cities are built. Especially in developing nations,” Mike Lydon says. “It’s step-by-step, piece-by-piece.” In many fast urbanizing regions, the presence of various temporary open spaces is crucial to meeting the overwhelming needs of public parks in dense urban core; although often constructed with modest budget and …
Tactical RenChi Interventions at Shekou Fish Harbor Green Read More »
What kinds of public spaces contribute the most to building memorable and attractive cities? As landscape architects, a large portion of our practice focuses on ecology, natural processes, and material performances. The global urban age is happening at a dizzying pace and scale, and with a diversity and complexity that challenges traditional design paradigms. Weaving …
ACHIEVING REN CHI IN PUBLIC SPACES: DESIGN FROM THE BOTTOM UP 打造人气空间：自下而上的设计理念 Read More »
On November 18th, Nanshan District’s new leadership group – Party Secretary Jiang Jianjun and Mayor Wang Qiang met with SWA design team, brainstorming on visions and ideas of Shenzhen Bay Shekou Promenade. Last month, the city was excited to see groundbreaking of Shekou promenade’s initial phase, which kicked off the implementation of this 6KM along …
Shekou Promenade in the News – Meeting with the New Mayor Read More »
As the Nation’s first testing ground of China’s Open Door Policy, Economic Reform and Capitalism Operation, Shekou Industrial Zone was established even before the SEZ (Shenzhen Special Economic Zone), in 1979. The great visionary Deng Xiaoping once said – “A little more power was granted to it so the Shekou Industrial Zone may develop faster …
Remaking Shekou Oil Pipe Line Read More »
Completed in 2011, this 9 kilometers long coastal Long Park is the first phase of Shenzhen Bay Waterfront Competition Winning Proposal in 2005, implementing a strong concept of coastal ecological restoration with 13 programmed park places for recreation and celebration. In the effort of accommodating diverse urban outdoor events in the 13 park nodes, program …
Music Festival RenChi at Shenzhen Bay Park Read More »
By Peiwen Yu Shekou Memorial Terrace Proposal tackled an urban space upgrading solution for a waterfront tourism spot – the light house and captain bar of Shekou Peninsula. Located at the Shenzhen Bay Shekou Waterfront, the place is adjacent to a high rise residential complex and a trendy retail development that’s currently undergoing construction – …
Shekou Lighthouse Plaza Reinvention – Memorial Terrace Read More »
A Conceptual Landscape Master Plan Proposal was newly prepared for Dalian Coastal Scenic Road Upgrading Project – revitalizing this scenic area with fresh recreational places and attracting more Ren Chi. The study area involves a 30KM long scenic Binhai road located on the South Coast of Dalian, China. Once a famous tourism destination of Dalian, Binhai road …
Dalian Coastal Parc Belt – Connecting City to Waterfront Read More »
How is Houston’s walkability improved over years? While the public transit in the city made significant progress compared to 10 years ago, the parks and squares in Houston’s urban area have been growing in terms of quantity and quality. The population centers of Uptown and Mid Town have been transformed to reach new level of …
Houston’s Ren Chi Bubbles Read More »
Peiwen gave a speech about Shenzhen Urban Waterfront Transformation, discussing pressing issues on Shenzhen’s need of new public space. She researched Shenzhen’s urbanization history, compared it’s spatial condition with the ‘sister city” – Houston, and reviewed how it’s transformed from instant city to garden city by design effort. Her research on Shenzhen Waterfront is located in southwest corner …
My Livable City Magazine Publishes Many Projects that Transformed Shenzhen Read More »