Page 60 - JCAU-6-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Storytelling in regenerative architecture

she shouted, holding out a small paper bag. I waved Not infrequently, I would hear a scratching of a nail
away the bad trade, but she persisted, claiming hers were against the wall. I would right myself and burst into a
magical seeds that would bring me good fortune, which bright room, only to find myself recoiling from a sudden
I clearly needed. “If you call it with the right word, by the shadow or the buzzing of a fly.
right name, then it comes,” she said. “That is the essence *
of magic. It does not create but calls.” The power to say no,
this most natural expression of refusal, is something that One night, while I slept, somebody (or something) burned
we believe we always have, but not always the courage. three words into my lawn. I thought about reporting it, but
Living is saying no, which means saying no is also saying the words seemed harmless enough.
yes. Confronted by this ridiculous woman standing before The sea rolled in. The waves continued to chew the
me like a rag-and-bone crone, with nothing needing my coastline, undermining the foundations of the hamlet.
attention despite the renovation being far from finished, Neighbors and dog walkers began to disappear from the
I was struck by how incomplete each moment of human skyline. Time itself was becoming an oscillation between
life is. darkness and light.
I fetched the telescope and made the exchange. She When the snow thawed, I emerged momentarily into
admired it briefly, slipped it into her coat pocket, and said, the weak spring sunlight. My senses were agitated at the
“Put your damned house in order!” before setting off along first tremor from the computer, which I could sense even
the cliff path once again. I split the bag, tossed her seeds from the doorway, drawing me immediately back inside
among the seeds already sown, and thought no more about and shutting the outer door behind me with a click. When
it. I had neglected to keep records of what was planted I blew off the dust and opened the lid, I discovered that the
where, believing that the garden should offer me a respite incoming spam had continued unabated:
from book-keeping. Besides, spring would eventually Subject: Accident Assessment Report - Norfolk
reveal any riches, irrespective of whether their names were Coastal Region Collapse
entered in a ledger. On March 23, we received a report of a catastrophic
incident along the coast of North Norfolk. Our
investigation revealed that a significant portion of the
coastal road has collapsed into the sea, resulting in
extensive damage to both property and infrastructure.
Our assessment indicates that the primary cause
of this collapse is the impact of rising sea levels
due to climate change. The gradual erosion of the
coastline, coupled with extreme weather events
and storm surges, has weakened the foundation
of the land, leading to the eventual collapse.
We also note that this incident is not an isolated event
but rather part of a larger pattern of climate-related
damage occurring in coastal regions worldwide. In
addition, the collapse has had a significant impact
on the local community, including the loss of
property and displacement of residents.
Based on our assessment, we recommend that
property owners in coastal regions take immediate
action to assess and mitigate the risks associated
with climate change and rising sea levels. This may
Figure 7. Bungalow VI. Source: Original work by the author include implementing measures such as shoreline
restoration, elevating buildings, and developing
*
contingency plans for extreme weather events.
Standing on my head with my legs against the wall, the In terms of insurance coverage, we note that many
outside plants seemed perverted. I envisaged a new traditional policies may not fully cover damage
movement, one of landownership rooted in verticality resulting from climate-related events. This is why
rather than the contested dirt on the ground. we recommend that property owners review their

Volume 6 Issue 2 (2024) 13 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.1335