Previously the program was taught as the ENV China/Japan Program
EDRA GREAT PLACES AWARD
Environmental Design Research Association - International Award
May 2012
The award is for work that
exemplifies the concern for human factors in the design of the built
environments and a commitment to promoting links between design research and
practice. The jury evaluates projects that address the human experience of
well-designed places with special attention given to the transferability of
research about human experience of place into design. The awards invites
participation from a range of design and research disciplines, recognizing
projects whose significance extends beyond any one profession or field.
Projects show how research and/or citizen participation is linked to or part of
practice, demonstrating that an understanding of human interaction with place
has generated the design.
EDRA is an international, interdisciplinary organization founded in 1968.
The purpose of EDRA is the advancement and dissemination of environmental design research, thereby improving understanding of the interrelationships between people, their built and natural surroundings, and helping to create environments responsive to human needs.
http://www.edra.org/
BEST STUDENT PROJECT AWARD-APPLIED RESEARCH
American Institute of Certified Planners - National Award
February 2012
PLANNING ACHIEVEMENT ACADEMIC AWARD OF MERIT
American Planning Association - California State Award
August 2011
ACADEMIC AWARD OF MERIT
American Planning Association - Los Angeles Chapter Award
June 2011
Submission Collaborators
Associate Professor Irma Ramirez, Architecture
Professor Gwen Urey, Urban and Regional Planning
Assistant Professor Andy Wilcox, Landscape Architecture
SUMMER 2011
ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS
Gamaliel Aguilar, Katrina Banzon, Albert Escobar, Pavel Kouznetsov, Sem Luong, Erika Mendez, Chelsea Morris Woodward, Ryan Raskop, Shahrzad Razi, Daniel Schnizler, Kenji Tan, Bryan Walker
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Matthew Geldin
URBAN & REGIONAL PLANNING
Alma Acosta, Joseph Baclit, Roland Escalona, Michael Lam, Brenna Lyons, Gerardo Marquez, Matt Ottoson, Andreas UtamaSUMMER 2008-2010
ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS: Olive Dy, Alexis Fu, Jonathan Gayomali, Alex Hernandez, Edward Kang, Niloufar Karimzadegan,Sophia Kim, Almodina Lopez, Luis Macias, Faryha Majumder, David Manzano, Francisco Martinez, Ehsaan Mesghali, Cindy Monge, Massimiliano Orzi, Owen Liu, Kenneth Pang, Nancy Park, Allyn Polancic, Brandon Ro, Kurt Rodrigo, Greg Sagherian, Luis Alonso Torres, Luis Torres, Erin Ung, Jesus Verduzco, Jennifer Wong, Leandro Yuan
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS: Christian Contreras, Aaron Dang, Mackenzie Johnston, Layal Kodeih, Sarah Nemo, Maryam Noori, Maya Okada, Ijeoma Onuoha, William Raff, Claudia Ramirez, Victor Rodriguez, Amal Sadeghi, Stephanie Santos, Tim Zhang
URBAN and REGIONAL PLANNING STUDENTS: Anna Berzin, Marcus Breaux, Albert C. Chou, James Combs, Kevin Cunningham, Dana Davidson, Joel Espinoza, Jorge Felix, Tyler Forester, Anali Gharakhani, Mark Grismer, Ezekiel T. Guza, Alex Heath, William Jefferson, Chi Jimmy, Cynthia Joe, Valentina Knox, Sophia Marie C. Kuo Tiong, Linda Lu, Hilary Mau, Pamela Murad, Lina Nguyen, Sarah Nilson, Melinda l Ramey, Fernando Raya, Ben Raymond, Martin Romo, Mesa Sherriff, Phillip Sims, Razilee Veda S. Tadeo, Rena Tang, Kassandra Thompson, Renee E. van Staveren, Megan A. Whalen, Lydia Yen.
Project Overview
The current fast development trends in China have become a fast-paced threat resulting in the demolition of vast parts of the city that house historic buildings of significance that have gone undocumented and forgotten. Many of these neighborhoods are low-rise residential communities with traditional courtyard buildings in tight alleyways called "Hutongs". Although there has been targeted development of some hutongs, many remain dilapidated, lacking basic services, and housing a poor segment of Chinese population.
The site examined is described as the Fayuan Temple Historical and Cultural Protection Zone, is an area of approximately 20 hectares. The project records the micro-scale vibrancy of the impoverished historic and dilapidated Fayuan Temple neighborhood; it identifies challenges and opportunities from site analysis/surveys; and proposes design possibilities for profitable yet responsible re-use and revitalization as an alternative to demolition and social displacement.
The class produced a comprehensive document being used by planning academics and professionals in Beijing as a base for dialogue with local governments. Since the completion of this study, demolition for part of the area in question been halted and discussions are in progress for alternative development ideas. The student proposals explore a variety of themes that address current challenges of Chinese population at large and local opportunities for the residents.
Acknowledgements
The project is a collaboration with North China University of Technology. In this project students worked with residents and planning agencies in the documentation of the area and in generating design alternatives. Throughout, students engaged in discussions of historic preservation, modernity, development trends, community culture and value, and possibility. The process led multidisciplinary teams to immerse themselves into an intensive and invigorating process of great visions, compromise, and deep ethical reflections in the face of China.
The APA/LA’s recognition of this interdisciplinary team is testimony of the program's academic excellence and acknowledgement of the hard work, great enthusiasm and collaborative attitudes of our students and faculty. The team accomplished this while living and studying in a most demanding foreign environment. They challenged themselves physically and mentally in the vibrant city of Beijing, a place that offered us impressive displays of urban and natural environments and in which we made great friends and meaningful collaborative work.
Special thanks to Allyn Polancic, architecture student (China class 2010) and Dr. Gwen Urey (URP) for their efforts in assisting the submission of this project; and much appreciation to Dean Michael Woo for his advice and engaged visit to the program in the summer of 2010. Many thanks to Congresswoman Judy Chu for her support of our program.
Congratulations to all!
Irma E Ramirez, Associate Professor of Architecture
ENV China Study Abroad Program, Director
