2021 China Fellowship
Emotional Justice: Emotional Design of Urban Public Space

In Southeast Asia and other developing cities, as the pace of urbanization slows down, we are able to reflect on the emotional loss caused by the emphasis on efficient development. Under the influence of technocratic methodology, many buildings have become living machines and cities have become the tracks of traffic. Under the pursuit of profit by capital, diverse city blocks that prioritized neighborhood support have become homogeneous residential areas with no historical context or memory of the original community spaces. From the growth of gated communities to the spread of “car-centric” city streets, the injustices of standardized pragmatism are eroding urban public space into an urban machine devoid of empathy.

Emotion and common memory give space justice, vitality, and cohesion. In modern society, people no longer pay attention only to the simple, perfect, and harmonious atmosphere of space, but also the aesthetic taste of the rustic, cathartic, and experiential. The design of public space should integrate the public’s emotional needs, regional historical context, and ecological environment.

Justice is not only a result of geographical distribution of social resources, but also a response to the spiritual and emotional needs of the public in a pluralistic society. Public space is not only a place where time and space are blended with each other in different social classes [1], but also an emotional care for regional history and culture. The emotional recollection of users, space, history, and culture—organically integrated and redistributed—reflects the justice of urban public space.

Han Tu

How can cities revive the fairness of public space? The theory of spatial justice has become a hot topic of interdisciplinary research. Urban planning and architecture increasingly incorporate justice issues such as inclusiveness, access, and participation into spatial thinking. The neglect of urban public space in developed countries has been gradually corrected over the past few decades. [2] However, the distribution of urban public space in developing countries is still unbalanced and deep-seated problems such as residential differentiation and spatial stratification have been amplified during the pandemic.

Emotional design has the potential to reduce hierarchical barriers and put an end to the isolation and partition of public space. It can reflect fairness and justice, and show that public space is truly an open space meant to serve and be enjoyed by all.

Notes

[1] Matthew Carmona, Steve Tiesdell, Tim Heath, and Taner Oc, Public Places – Urban Spaces: The Dimensions of Urban Design, 2nd ed. (Burlington, MA: Elsevier, 2010).

[2] Xu Kai and Klaus Semsroth, “Fall and Revitalization of ‘Publicness’—Chinese Urban Space in Comparison with European Ones,” Urban Planning Forum 3 (2013): 61–69.

Objectives

1. Discover the place of justice in the emotional design of urban public spaces.

2. Explore the role of architects working on emotional justice.

3. Discover, through field research and interviews, what urban renewal experiences can provide effective paradigms for the emotional justice of public space in the future.

Itinerary

The tour starts with a visit to the Songkhla Mosque and ends in the garden city of Singapore.

First Stop: Central Mosque, Songkhla, Thailand
In 2019 I briefly visited Songkhla, Thailand for a design studio—too short of a visit to do any field research on urban space and culture, or to pay any attention to urban justice. When I saw the topic of the SOM Foundation China Fellowship this year, I immediately remembered this town where Thais of different cultural and religious backgrounds, many of whom immigrated after World War II, unevenly share the urban public space. For example, Thai Muslims make up 20% of the population of Songkhla but use only 5% of the urban public space. In my continuous academic study, I found that the justice of urban space is not only a result of geographical distribution of social resources, but also a response to the spiritual and emotional needs of the public in a pluralistic society. It is Songkhla that made me realize for the first time the importance of justice in urban design in the postimmigrant era and to start considering this phenomena in postepidemic era. Therefore, I hope to start my trip from Songkhla.

Second Stop: Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok, Thailand
I am deeply influenced by the culture and emotional atmosphere embodied in Bangkok’s bazaars and will try to summarize the value of emotional design in these traditional spaces.

Third Stop: Death Railway from Kanchanaburi, Thailand to Myanmar
Kanchanaburi is known for its bridge over the Khwae Yai River, which connects to the historic Death Railway to Myanmar. The railway is named for the thousands of POWs and Asian laborers who died working on the railway during the Japanese occupation of the region in World War II. I will try to find if there is emotional justice in a city that holds a heavy historical and emotional burden.

Fourth Stop: New Delhi, India
New Delhi is like two cities, with the rich and poor living on the same land. Urban areas are divided into old neighborhoods that have a long history and new neighborhoods that are the result of modern planning. I aim to investigate the fairness of urban public space and the gap between the rich and the poor.

Fifth Stop: Singapore
As a tourist city recognized by the world, I wish to find successful examples of emotional justice in Singapore’s urban spaces, such as Kampung Admiralty and Gardens by the Bay, which are built for all citizens regardless of race, language, or religion. I would like to observe how urban public space can reflect the common values of citizens who have a diverse cultural imprint.