2000 Urban Design
The Asian City

The general nature of the fellowship was to study contemporary, high-density cities in Asia and Southeast Asia. During my formal education, European and American cities were the primary focus of study, without discovering the cities of Asia. Before my trip I felt a gap, a missing part in my own greater understanding of cities through time and cultures. One goal of my fellowship was to use this trip as a missing course in the history of cities in Asia.

In my interview before I was awarded the fellowship, I talked of cities like Hong Kong, Hanoi, and Singapore with only a small frame of reference and understanding. I talked of cities not growing in small steps but through grand visions, unchallenged planning, and uncontrolled growth. I was prepared to see new cultures and new lands, but I could not fully envision their real differences or similarities to our own culture. As the built environment is a reflection of our own cultural values, I indulged in the fascinating cities of Asia and Southeast Asia with open eyes.

Fellow Experience

Where do we end up after we have traveled so far and what do we do with all of our experiences?

A professor I met in Sydney after I completed my travels in Asia mentioned that he took his students to India to learn about their own country, not the country they were visiting. I think this insight holds true for my own travels, but only by traveling through Asia could I understand this.

A week visit in each city gave me enough time to understand major issues facing each Asian city, but not enough time to truly understand the historical and cultural significance through time. The time in each city was valuable for hitting upon significant cultural buildings and districts, visiting museums of history, discovering local parks and special places only used by residents, discovering how people actually use the city in which they live, stumbling over new additions to the city, falling victim to the weather and the effect it can have on cities, stumbling into tourist traps, dining at local restaurants, and discovering the essence of each city. Unlike studying a specific building, a city holds back it secret and requires time and experience to understand. Only by traveling to Asian cities can one begin to understand them. In each city I sought to find a defining characteristic by which the city could be defined.

My original intentions expressed in the interview of contrasting my understanding of North American and European cities with the cities of Asia exceeded my expectations. Each city I traveled to—whether it be Tokyo or Guilin—revealed new problems and solutions not faced by other cities throughout North America and Europe. Cities like Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, and Ho Chi Minh are challenged with issues such as an expanding population with limited means for growth, undergoing globalization while incorporating the city's history and culture, and balancing population demands with open space and developing new infrastructure within existing confines.

Before I departed for the trip, I expected to find more universal cities, or cities with generic international architecture and organization not dependent on a specific location. What I found was far from what I expected. Most of the Asian cities were rich with history, influenced in some way by colonial British, French, or Dutch governments, showing distinctive characteristics, unique districts, and new development with a combination of Asian and Western influences. Of the all the cities I visited, Singapore was the most western because of the city's general organization, cleanliness, and access to consumer goods and services. On the flip side, Beijing was the most different because of the city's scale, the poor state of public transportation, and my own lack of knowledge of Chinese history.

I would say that Asian cities are becoming more Western, but I would not agree with my earlier statement that they are being transformed into a more "universal city." The ideal of being anywhere but nowhere seems far off when you look at all of the cities I have traveled to, taking into account their history, location, climate, and future. Cities like Beijing, Ho Chi Minh, Shanghai, Putrajaya, and Singapore are becoming more Western because of a demand for more and cleaner space. In Beijing acres of Hutongs are being torn down to make “modern” apartment towers with spacious apartments, parts of Saigon South have succumbed to demands for gated communities, Shanghai is growing as Western-style suburban housing is built, Putrajaya incorporates overdone European and American city planning, and Singapore is too clean without the grit that makes cities feel real. Singapore discovered after tearing down old Chinese shophouses to make way for Western skyscrapers and office buildings that it needed old buildings because of their historical value and identity. Singapore originally aspired to become Western through shiny modern buildings; the city has now decided to preserve buildings of the same type as those once torn down.

The trip was an incredible experience and, in my opinion, a successful endeavor. Traveling by train and bus from Beijing to Singapore gave me time to understand the relationship between each city, soak in the landscape, culture, and history while picking up a few stories along the way. Receiving the fellowship was a life-changing event. I only wish more students had the opportunity to experience such a trip. The entire process of putting together a portfolio focused on urban design to apply for the fellowship, the interview, and the now-complete travel allowed me to reflect on my own studies and knowledge of urban design. The interview tested me beyond any expectation while the trip further expanded my own studies and understanding of the cities in which we live.

To travel is to experience and understand. The SOM Foundation fellowship was the only thing that could have made this trip possible for me. Thank you.