Xailingpai New Ken Bin Village (photo: Lard Buurman)

Following the successful event of the exhibition Da Lang Fever, organized at the 2013 Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture, INTI now presents Da Lang Fever 2.0. It proposes urban strategies to empower migrant workers in Da Lang Neighborhood (Shenzhen).

Curator Linda Vlassenrood has invited Ekim Tan (gaming method Play the City), the architecture office space&matter and photographer Lard Buurman to develop an action plan for real urban interventions in one of Da Lang’s fast changing industrial areas, the so called Fashion Valley. It is one of the nine industrial parks in Shenzhen and an attempt to attract the creative industries. It hasn’t been entirely successful yet. As top-down urban planning is losing favor worldwide, also in Shenzhen, these three participants offer more collaborative alternatives, meant to emancipate migrant society.

First and foremost, Da Lang Fever 2.0 will function as a gaming room where Play Da Lang will bring together migrants from Da Lang to collaboratively rethink a partly vacant site inside the Fashion Valley. An iconic feature of the site is a three-year-old, but still vacant hotel. The Amsterdam-based office for architecture and urbanism space&matter presents possible scenarios for programming the building to empower the self-organizing migrant society. Finally, the exhibition will be complemented by photographs of photographer Lard Buurman, depicting Da Lang workers in their neighborhood.

Da Lang Fever 2.0 is part of the exhibition Pearl River Delta 2.0, curated by Doreen Liu and Hubert Klumpner and has been developed in close collaboration with the Da Lang Government. The exhibition is generously supported by Creative Industries Fund NL, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Guangzhou, Mondriaan Fund, Design Trust, and 2015 Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture.

Date: Saturday December 5th, 2015
Time: 14.00-15.30
Hosted by: International New Town Institute (INTI)
Content: Da Lang is a rapidly transforming neighborhood in Shenzhen with severe social issues and hardly any urban planning. What urban interventions are necessary to empower the migrant society? And what would happen if the self-organizing migrants were invited to participate in the urban development process? Learning from Da Lang wants to discuss the role of multiple stakeholders in the urban developments of Shenzhen.
Introduction: Michelle Provoost (INTI)
Keynote: Linda Vlassenrood (INTI)
Respondents: Tat Lam (CEO of Shanzhai City) and Sascha Glasl (Space & Matter)
Moderator: Christine de Baan
Location: Aformal Academy, Panorama deck, Former Dacheng Flour Factory, Shenzhen
Language: English

Date: Saturday December 5th, 2015
Time: 16.00-18.30
Hosted by: International New Town Institute (INTI)
Content: Road trip to the Da Lang Fashion Valley and back. With a lecture of Shenzhen Based Ethnographer Mary Ann O’Donnell in the bus on the planning history of Shenzhen, an introduction on Play Da Lang by Ekim Tan (Play the City) and a site visit of the empty and impressive Da Lang Palace.
Location: Bus leaves from the entrance of Former Dacheng Flour Factory, Shenzhen
Urban safari is free, but please register via www.rise-shine.world
Language: English

Both events are hosted by Het Nieuwe Instituut and The Consulate General of the Netherlands in Guangzhou, with the aim of encouraging Dutch initiatives at UABB by facilitating conversations, presentation and meetings between designers, architects, urbanists and the general public. The public program is co-organized by Bureau Europa with the objective to strengthen networks of knowledge and exchange.

Date: Sunday December 6th and 7th, 2015
Time: 14.00-17.00
Content: INTI and Play the City have invited migrant workers, local factory managers and business owners, representatives from local NGOs and the Da Lang Government, but also independent architects, urban planners and developers to play the first two game sessions of Play Da Lang.
Hosted by: International New Town Institute (INTI)
Location: Exhibition space Da Lang Fever 2.0 (part of the exhibition Pearl River Delta 2.0) on the 2nd Floor of Former Dacheng Flour Factory, Shenzhen
Language: Chinese

Date: Tuesday December 8th, 2015
Time: 14.00-17.30
Hosted by:
– International New Town Institute (INTI)
– Guangming New Town
– City of Almere
Content: INTI has been invited by Guangming New Town, Shenzhen to advise them for several years on the quality and feasibility of large-scale spatial projects, and their green ambitions in particular. During this event some provocative thoughts on how water and urban agriculture could strengthen the spatial quality of Guangming New Town will be presented.
Speakers:
– Linda Vlassenrood (INTI)
– Pieter Schengenga (H+N+S landscape architects)
– Simone Eijsink (City of Almere)
– Markus Appenzeller (MLA+)
– Representatives Guangming New Town
Moderator: Tiffany Tsui (Royal Haskoning DHV)
Location: Auditorium, Former Dacheng Flour Factory, Shenzhen
Language: English / Chinese