The elemental metropolis

The past and future of the extended urbanity in the Yangtze River Delta, China

by

Qinyi Zhang, PhD

Senior Urban and Landscape Designer, Studio Paola Viganò

ABSTRACT

The research Horizontal Metropolis led by Prof. Paola Viganò at EPFL, Switzerland, focuses on the form of the contemporary city – the fragmentary spatial condition and dispersed urbanity all over the world. This study on the Yangtze River delta is part of its research frame, including different territories in Switzerland, Italy, the US, and China. The research cooperates with Superstudio and Lab-U at EPFL. The urbanization in the Yangtze River Delta today is looking for a new interpretation and paradigm. Before giving any new interpretation, by closely examining the space of the desakota for its physical elements, through which the desakota is made and functions: the water, the trees, the houses, the road, the industry, the facilities, etc., we attempt to answer a very basic question: what is the desakota in the Yangtze River Delta made of?

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Qinyi Zhang (1985, Hangzhou, China) is a senior urban and landscape designer at Studio Paola Viganò (before 2015 as Studio Secchi-Viganò) since 2009. He is a registered “ruimtelijke planner” for the Flemish government in Belgium.

At Studio, he is a coordinator for the design team and a senior designer in charge of important urban and landscape projects and exhibitions. He was a post-doc researcher at the Lab-U and Habitat Research Center in EPFL, Lausanne (2018-2020), working on research projects including the Greater Geneva Consultation, and in charge of the preparation and management of the EPFL part of “TOD-IS-RUR Transit Oriented Development for Inclusive and Sustainable Rural-Urban Regions”- a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) - Innovative Training Network (ITN) project.

He received his PhD in Urbanism at IUAV Venezia in 2018. Part of his work was exhibited in the collateral Event “HORIZONTAL METROPOLIS” at the Venice Biennale 2016 and multiple other events globally. He undertook a European Postgraduate Master in Urbanism (EMU) in TU Delft and obtained a bachelor’s degree in architecture in Zhejiang University, China.

He was a jury member and external critic in master’s programs and workshops in ULB, IUAV Venezia KU Leuven and GSD at Harvard University. He lectured in TU Delft (NL), Dessau Institute of Architecture (DE), Sint-Lucas Ghent (BE), KU Leuven (BE), and Zhejiang University (CN).