Periurban Beijing is a wide, ever-changing landscape of contradictions that exemplify the brutality and richness of China’s early first century urban expansion. By examining the transitory states of urban villages in Beijing’s outer rim, the “Life On The Edge” project aims to collect the specific functional and social benefits of these temporary settlements to inform the future growth of the megalopolis. From the smallest scale of the street, to the large scale of freeways and neighborhoods, the study bridges cultural notions of space, contemporary large-scale urban planning, all in the service of the social cohesion and livability of future Chinese cities.
The story of a village
Chinese Cultural Notions of Privacy
Timelapse Mapping of Xiaozhai Village
Timelapse Mapping of Nanshao Village
Timelapse Mapping – Beigao Village
Pancake Bikes
The “Bread-Car”
Street Skewer “Chuanr” stand
Worker Dormitories – Double-story type
Worker Dormitories – Single-story type
Xishatun – Traditional Rural Housing
Xishatun Vertical Hybrid
Xishatun Temporal Hybrid
Xishatun Mixed-Use Construction
New Beigao – Typical Urban development
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