Page 52 - JCAU-5-4

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Learning from the countryside

can choose forms and types that align with the context of
a location as references when conceptualizing design ideas
for new urban settlements. This approach is particularly
relevant for vernacular architectures, such as the Linpan
settlement, which may lack distinctive architectural
features compared to other Chinese dwellings.
In terms of morphological considerations, camp-
style Linpan settlements are typically more secluded
and situated away from main thoroughfares; therefore,
they primarily serve residential purposes. Streamlined
and linear Linpan settlements, influenced by farmland
Figure 14. The vision of the future city in rural Chengdu which draws patterns, are often located along roads or rivers (ditches),
inspiration from Linpan settlements. The central area of the image possessing dual residential and public functions due to
features a new complex comprising a multifunctional courtyard,
residential towers, the pavilions of a secondary school, and an agricultural their proximity to busy routes. When transforming these
university. The locations of the stops of the suspended monorail are in areas, designers may incorporate certain public program
correspondence with different clusters. Source: Lin, 2021 elements. Meandering river Linpan settlements tend
to feature large, open farmland areas suitable for group
urban and rural areas, it becomes evident that the existing development, and their potential transformation should
rural public buildings are insufficient to meet the growing prioritize water resource management. Concentrated
demands of the population. Our on-site investigations Linpan settlements, positioned at crossings of pathways,
in rural areas have revealed a dearth of public buildings, farmland textures, and waterways, usually exhibit more
particularly in the domains of education and health care. prominent public features. These sites represent potential
Schools in urban areas boast superior facilities, equipment, candidates for adaptation into public buildings.
teaching quality, and educational resources compared to
their rural counterparts. Similarly, medical and health-care 3.3. Project: “The Future of Seawall Towns” (Kandun,
services are concentrated in cities, resulting in a relative Cixi, Ningbo)
scarcity of such services in rural areas. The phenomenon Cixi is a prefecture-level city under Ningbo, located on the
of rural hollowing-out has further exacerbated this issue, Sanbei Plain along the southern coast of Hangzhou Bay.
with an increasing proportion of children and elderly The main area in the Sanbei Plain has been shaped through
individuals comprising the actual rural population. sediment accumulation and artificial development. Since
To address this issue, the proposal recommends the the Northern Song Dynasty (960 – 1127), the construction
establishment of various public service buildings, taking of seawalls has gradually reclaimed land, shifting the
reference from analogous structures in urban areas. coastline northward. During the Ming Dynasty (1368
These buildings include kindergartens, schools, research – 1644), the establishment of coastal defense stations
institutes, nursing homes, hospitals, agricultural green food accelerated the processes of polder reclamation and seawall
factories, and other public facilities. The proposed sites for construction. Over time, these developments, along with
these new buildings primarily encompassed abandoned the continuous influx of immigrants, led to the gradual
Linpan settlements, which facilitate the preservation formation of settlements along the seawall.
of agricultural land. Furthermore, rural factories, The seawall system comprises the seawall itself, a
greenhouses, and storage spaces for goods are also located buffer zone, and the seawall river. Given the absence of
on arable land near urban areas due to urbanization, natural rivers in the newly acquired land, which hindered
highlighting the need for essential production and transportation and irrigation, an intricate network of
processing facilities in rural agricultural land. canals was dug perpendicular to the seawall river, forming
When considering how to design new Linpan residential a dense water network throughout the Cixi area (Figure 15,
forms by “learning from” Linpan morphology and left panel). The seawall rivers were termed Tang, while the
addressing the challenge of inheriting the characteristics canals were known as Pu (Guo et al., 2023).
of vernacular architecture, we have integrated Linpan The seawall rivers (Tang) and canals (Pu) have shaped
attributes into contemporary architectural design through the morphological framework of the area. They have
the study of typology and morphology. The rules derived partitioned the land into strips and distributed settlements
from this study may be applied to assess the integration among them, giving rise to a distinctive morphological
of new developments within their environment. Architects character (Figure 15, right panel).

Volume 5 Issue 4 (2023) 13 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0981