Cultural Utopia

立足于“平民”和“生活”的“文化城市”

By Yu Jian

从“文化城市”的角度来看中国“后奥运”时代的城市，也许，从一条因钉子户被迫拐弯的道路，从一条可以斜穿过居民区的便道，从一个破旧但生意红火的小店，到不伦不类土洋结合的新民居建筑，这是否应该成为，或者说将成为代替整齐划一的新城市的新新城市的图景。至少，我是这么期望的。

中国城市自1949年以来经历了政治城市、经济城市、景观城市、到文化城市的四个阶段，前奥运时代主要是经历了经济城市、景观城市的阶段。后奥运时代，将是一个文化城市的时代。北京、深圳、大连可以形象地作为前三个城市阶段的典型代表，而今天我们在各处不断地可以感受到一种新的努力正在发生，最极端的例子就是最近几年常见诸报端的各地拆迁户的故事，他们的努力和对他们的尊重，我认为正是中国文化城市阶段到来的信号。
其实我担心“文化城市”的说法会引起一种误解，那就是与我们所熟知的“历史文化名城”的称谓引起一种混淆，那是一种狭义的“文化”，是一种建立在过去式的、固定不变的，所谓精英式的城市保护与建设模式之上的。但我这里所提的“文化城市”，是一种平民式的、演进着的城市价值观，是一种立足于城市生活而非过于注重城市物质的城市建设观。因此，“文化城市”也可以说是“平民城市”或者说是“生活城市”。我们能够把这样的城市称之为“文化城市”，我觉得实际上需要重塑城市价值观，重塑城市的文化观，这样才会重新体认与发现城市对于我们的价值，才会从根本上改变当下的城市建设的模式，进而，我们所期望的中国城市文化复兴，才有可能真正到来。
文化城市时代将会有很多价值观的改变，其中两个重要的改变是：私人尺度的重塑与生活价值的弘扬。

一、私人尺度的重塑
1、新“见缝插针”式的城市开发模式
钉子户的胜利预示着一种曾经被摒弃的“见缝插针”模式的城市开发模式将不得不重新被正视，而我认为，这种模式正是能够创造一座好的文化城市的条件。
大规模的开发从来就没有创造过好的城市，相反，是割裂了城市。它创造的是一种单一乏味的城市图景。私有财产权的确立是抵抗这种城市推土机的最有效的武器。城市的多样性文化生态，实际上是这种抗争所无意识造就的副产品。但正是这种平民的努力，将比规划师、建筑师更有效地造就“文化城市”
2、城市“空间民主”的追求
在大规模开发的利益追求之下，城市的格网被一再扩大了。与此同时，城市中小群体籍以安全和社区建设的名义，对城市空间的小群体领地化，也是城市合宜的格网尺度被破坏的因素之一。以私人或者说城市匿名个人为立场的城市空间越来越少。穿越城市、体验城市正在变得越来越难。城市被瓜分为各种领地，这与现代城市的本质是根本上相违背的。
当我们在城市中咫尺相望而不得不绕道甚至搭车而行的时候，我们是否意识到自己在这个城市中的空间权利正在被剥夺。与钉子户的激烈冲突不同，这种城市“空间民主”的意识，将慢慢会成为强烈的声音，从而从根本上挑战现有的城市空间体系。

二、生活价值的弘扬
1、“寻找场所”的城市生活观
中国的城市在攀比标志性景观的大潮中渐渐平息下来，我们将会发现，城市中真正让我们的生活更有乐趣的是那些不起眼的场所，场所是城市人们生活的积累所赋予的。在前一轮城市建设的大潮中，大量我们所熟悉的生活场所随着承载它们的物质环境的消失而消失，然而城市生活就像愈合新的创口一般，努力地在全新的物质环境中顽强地重新培育场所，培育城市生活的土壤。现在是正视这些场所的价值并真正赋予他们在城市空间中的重要地位的时候了。
寻找场所的努力，是文化城市建设的重要工作。在这个过程中，对多样的人群、各异的生活方式的需求的体认与尊重，乃至作为一种城市新的生活景观加以赞美，而代替物质景观至上的城市建设模式，将为我们的城市带来真正的生活价值与品质。换句话说，一家破旧但能品尝到难得美味的餐馆，对我们的生活而言，是否与城市的标志性大楼具有同样的重要性。

2、城市的“混合”代替“纯净”
当我们终于放慢对城市的大拆大建脚步的时候，我们面临的新城市将呈现出一种更为“混合”的状态而非“纯净”。对建筑物选择改造利用的权重将大大高于拆掉重建的便利。与此同时，对原住民的态度也从简单的搬迁转向如何和谐的混杂。
对生活价值的弘扬，使得我们对城市的价值维度更为多元化，把城市建设的关注重点再一次从高高在上的某种形象代表地位拉回到平民生活场景之中，从而对不同的生活方式和生活群体，也将此一种共生的态度。
杭州城市郊区的“新农居”，向来被很多专家认为是极端怪异的民间建筑，关于整治这些新民居的呼吁时有耳闻，甚至有专家呼吁建筑师为他们设计更为美观的住宅。我则认为这种代表了一个时代民间风俗的建筑物，应该受到公平的对待。“文化城市”的时代将更加宽容地对待城市既有的物质环境，并由此让不同的建筑和不同的人以更加丰富多彩的面貌混杂在一起。

The "cultural city" based on the "civilian" and "life"

By Yu Jian

The city of " Post-Olympic era " can be understood from the view of "cultural city". It can be a road passing through residential areas which is caused by nail household, a small shop which has very good business, or a new residential nondescript construction. It may become the new planning of city instead of the boring plan. At least, that’s what I expected.

Since 1949,Chinese cities has experienced four phases : political city, economic city , landscape city and the cultural city .The former Olympic era has mainly gone through the two phases of economic and landscape city, and the Post-Olympic era will come to the cultural city era. Beijing, Shenzhen and Dalian can be seen as the typical representative cities of the first three phases.

In fact, I am worried that the "cultural city" will rise to a misunderstanding of "historical and cultural city", which is a kind of narrow "culture". My "cultural city" is a value developed in civilian-style and based on the life but not the urban material construction. As a result, a "cultural city" can be described as a "civilian city" or the "city of life." There will be a lot of changes of values in "cultural city era ", and the two important ones are: private-scale remodeling and promoting the value of life.

• Private-scale remodeling

1. “take every opportunity” to development the city
Large-scale development has never been to create a good city, on the contrary, it has separated the city. The establishment of private property is the resistance of “city bulldozers”. Ecological and cultural diversity of city is a kind of civilian effort, which is more effective than the planners and architects to create a "cultural city". So, I think “take every opportunity” is beneficial to create a cultural city.

2. seeking for "democratic space" of City
In pursuit of the interests of large-scale development, the urban grid has been expanded. At the same time, urban groups of small and medium-sized occupied the urban space in the name of security and community building, that’s also one of the factors to expand the urban grid . The city was divided for all kinds of territory, which is opposite to the essence of the modern city. The consciousness of " democratic space" will gradually become a strong voice in order to challenge the existing system of urban space fundamentally.

• Promoting the value of life

1. the city life concept of "Looking for places"
I think the real places that made our lives more fun is not landmarks of architecture but those inconspicuous places which were accumulated by people’s lives. a large number of familiar places were disappeared with the vanish of the physical environment. However, city life is like a new wound healing in general, and making efforts to cultivate the soil of city life in the new environment .It is time to face up the value of the real urban spaces .
Looking for places is an important work for cultural city construction. Respect and recognize the needs of different people and all sorts of lifestyles will bring us real value and quality of life. For example, we should ask ourselves: which place is more important to us, a worn-out restaurant but have a rare taste of food, or a landmark of architecture?

2. mixture instead of purity
When the pace of urban Mass-Demolishing slows down, our city will have a new appearance of mixture instead of purity. Facing to buildings, it is better to utilize it instead of destroy. Meanwhile, the residents tend to a
harmony mixture from simple relocation.
With diversification of our values and lifestyles, the key-point of urban construction is focused on civilian life.
To different lifestyles and life-way groups, the attitude of intergrowth will be adopted.
The new buildings in Hangzhou’s suburb are thought to be weird folk buildings by many experts. Some experts even propose that they will design the more beautiful houses for residents. While, I think it represents folk custom of one era, and it should be treated equally. The period of “Cultural city” will have a more tolerance attitude towards the physical environment in city, in this way, different buildings and different people will live together.