Chinese chronicles. The urban frenzy of Shenzhen

Monica Naso, Lei Liu

2019

Naso, Monica and Lei, Liu. 2019. “Chinese chronicles. The urban frenzy of Shenzhen”. Il Giornale dell’Architettura, February 13, 2019

ISSN 2284-1369

Rural settlements progressively encircled by the expansion of the SEZ, Urban Villages (also known as chengzhoncun) strongly connote Shenzhen’s urban and social fabric; for a long time considered degraded enclaves of irregular urban growth, they are today undertaking ceaseless metamorphoses as recognized territories of many potentials by public actors, designers and real estate developers. Beside the bold “demolition and reconstruction” operations that have already razed many of these original settlements to the ground, some alternative modes of intervention seems now to emerge, attempting to establish a critical dialogue with the complexity of these urban contexts.