China: Green Dreams; A Not So Model Village

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/fellows/green_dreams/

In this story, Timothy Lesle goes in search of the reasons for the failure of a village that was intended to become a model for sustainable living in more rural parts of China. Suburban tract houses were built but the villagers for whom they were intended have largely not moved in because they do not address the way the farmers actually live and make a living. Except for the developer, Lesle was unable to interview the main figures involved and relied on information from people who observed the situation. Basically, the US designer involved, McDonough, put the blame on the Chinese side. The repeated excuse from the lawyer consulting on the project was that it was not their village and therefore not their responsibility. However, the anthropology graduate student Lesle interviewed pointed out that the villagers were not involved in a meaningful way.

I came across this story via archinect.com and I posted my abbreviated comments on the website, but here are my comments in full:

I echo the sentiments of previous posters. People who work in China must have a firm understanding of not only the customers but of the level of expertise available in China. In the particular case of China, it seems that firms also need to understand their relationship to their customers and both the government and the customers' expectations. One US landscape architecture firm I interviewed for my thesis project told me they had to adjust the way they made they made their drawings and their communication to their client to ensure that things were done properly. The attraction to the opportunity to experiment in China must be tempered by ethical considerations--how will the experiment affect the people, the landscape, etc. Some of the failures of the projects show a lack of interest in context and impact.

Of course, outside firms are not the only ones to blame.

I'm curious to know how McDonough's other projects in China are working out.

As for implementing this idea in a more affluent part of China, I know that property developers Shui On is framing their venture in environmentally sustainable development as a top-down approach.