Chongming Eco-Community Project

DESIGN Harvests Midsummer Festival

2011-04-14T03:28:00.000-07:00

DESIGN Harvests and GoodtoSH lauched the first annual Chongming Midsummer Festival to
experience the balance between rural and urban life!

The event aims at making a difference to the quality of life, health and environment
by learning how to plant an organic garden, tasting homecooked Chongming foods,
painting creatively and riding bikes at Chongming island.

Systemic Design

2011-04-14T03:09:00.000-07:00

After having identified in the research part different promising fields of action in the local context (food, creative agriculture, hospitality, mobility, leisure), a system of small projects, each operating in one or more of these fields, has been developed, to face specific needs of different targets. All these projects are in some ways connected, and have relevant effects for the future of the local community of XianQiao village.

NEXT DESIGN Exhibition

2009-11-03T00:11:00.000-08:00

The Chongming Sustainable Community Project was featured in “NEXT DESIGN - International Exhibition of Design for Social Innovation & Sustainability”, co-hosted by the College of Design & Innovation Tongji University, DESIS-China and Shanghai International Creative Industry Week from October 15-21, 2009 at 800 Show on Changde Road.

The whole exhibition was focused on presentation and promotion of the newest achievements of DESIS International, DESIS China and the College of Design & Innovation in design for social innovation and sustainability. The exhibition presented student works and research achievements from members of DESIS International and DESIS-China. The exhibition made joint design between universities and colleges of China and other countries accessible through design works that were created with a drive for innovation and responsibility to society. The exhibited works considered the most detailed aspects in daily life: involving lighting, traveling, catering, living, eco-tourism and creative agriculture, with a wide range of multidisciplinary comprehensive design strategies.

Chongming DESIS Workshop

2009-11-02T23:46:00.000-08:00

From September 25 to October 14, 2009 Politecnico di Milano, Tongji University and Studio TAO hosted the joint workshop “Chongming Island Project: Services for a New Generation of Creative Entrepreneurs”. The objective of the workshop was to envision and design the product-service-system platform supporting the everyday life of a new creative entrepreneurial community in Chongming Island. The services were related to hospitality, production and trading services connected to agriculture and nature, creating places connected in systemic and synergic collaboration between rural and urban residents.

The approach was focused on the interest and need of the communities living in the context of Chongming utilizing methods such as resource mapping, social innovation mapping, pilot projects definition, proposal design, projects networking and project communication. The results of the workshop included the networking of five local enterprises: Community Supported Agriculture, Organic Food, Health and Recreation, Mobility and Hospitality. The workshop was run by Professors Anna Meroni and Lou Yongqi. Tutors were Joon Baek, Clarisa Diaz, Zhong Fang, and Miaosen Gong.

Chongming ELOPE+Tongji Kitchen Workshop

2009-11-02T23:42:00.000-08:00

From September 14-24, 2009 students met for a kick-off week on Chongming Island from Tongji University, Fudan University, China; Bern University, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, Academy of Art and Design, Institute for Interior Architecture and Scenographical Design, European Graduate School of Arts, Health and Society Division, Switzerland; and Technológico de Monterrey, México. The meeting focused on team-building for the upcoming semester in which teams will work virtually to develop a project on the reuse of the rural Chinese kitchen. Topics for the future rural kitchen include Industry/Business, Architecture/Environment, Energy/Waste, Tools/Craftsmanship, Lifestyle/Service and Communication. The workshop was hosted by the Chongming Municipal Government and Studio TAO; and organized by the ELOPE team from the Bern University of Applied Sciences, Tongji University and Studio TAO.

WDKA Workshop

2009-04-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

From April 6-17, students from Tongji University. Willem de Kooning Academy, International Product Design School, and the School of Architecture and Urban Design met in Shanghai to participate in a workshop on rural public space. Titled, “Rural Public Space: New Definitions of Typologies” the focus of the workshop was to create ideas for public space based in agriculture and tourism. The result was four projects covering landscape use for visual identity and seasonal crop profit, use of empty homes for local business, streetscape, a market and community center.

Agriculture Identity

Home Business

Streetscape

Community Center

Organic Food

2009-03-29T00:26:00.001-07:00

Eco-Tourism

2009-03-29T00:18:00.000-07:00

Traditional Chinese Medicine

2009-03-29T00:16:00.001-07:00

Healthcare

2009-03-29T00:13:00.000-07:00

Home Rental

2009-03-29T00:09:00.001-07:00

Home Restaurant

2009-03-29T00:03:00.000-07:00

Home Business

2009-03-28T23:58:00.001-07:00

Children's Exchange

2009-03-28T23:54:00.001-07:00

Bringing Teachers

2009-03-28T23:51:00.001-07:00

Waste Management

2009-03-28T23:46:00.001-07:00

Transportation

2009-03-28T23:44:00.000-07:00

Gov. Eco-Tourism Plan

2009-03-09T17:48:00.001-07:00

From the images below we know there are a handful of entrepreneur-type residents in the village. We also know from our research that most of the socio-cultural values are supported through an exchange of services with residents from other neighboring villages. For instance nursing aides and local businesses cross villages and rely on one another. We would have to see the other villages, but the TAO team has had some discussion that we could improve life in Xian Qiao through a network of connections that combine resources with the other neighboring villages.

The town director is planning a tourism route that connects these villages and would like some input. He is also thinking along the lines of diversity and further networking the villages outside of Chongming (to Shanghai for example). This could potentially strengthen the relationships between the villages as a village network. The image is a sketch of the plan with the villages outlined in blue (we have focused so far on Xian Qiao, in the middle.) The neighboring village, Chu Feng, has established more profitable greenhouses on their land for vegetables and fruits. Xian Qiao is so far planned to be used as a stop for tourists to eat, buy gifts, fish, and rest on a lawn. The empty large houses could be used for local business purposes since that seems to be Xian Qiao’s greatest resource and asset.

SE Group Workshop

2009-02-27T05:22:00.000-08:00

On Februrary 19-20, the Systemic Excellence Group from Berlin held a working seminar with Studio TAO. The seminar generated discussion among participants about themes centered on social systems design theory and methodology. Dr. Louis Klein and Suk-Han Tang began with definitions of what is a village and developed the seminar to cater to the Chongming project. Stakeholders and interests in the project were charted as a framework for future study. Considering the perspectives of business, government and consumer in addition to the village resident were emphasized to develop the project’s strategy.

Existing Conditions

2009-02-22T05:17:00.000-08:00