Week 1 in Chongqing

The city I'll call home for the next 8 weeks is quite a bit different from Shanghai.

For one, it's hotter. Topping out in the upper 90s each day, with major humidity, I'm reminded of the hottest weeks in Chicago, except this is never-ending. I got truly spoiled in one short year with the LA weather, and by the time I acclimate to this weather, it may be time head back to the States.

There are some fascinating articles out there about Chongqing, some of which I've already linked in previous posts. Here is another great one in the NY Times, brought to my attention by my roommate/classmate/co-intern/friend Lucia. This article, in particular, captures some of the vibe I've been feeling here as a Westerner in a city with very, very few Westerners.



I started my internship last week at the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design. The organization is a semi-governmental institute that does both research as well as consultancy-based master planning, strategic planning, and comprehensive planning. We have been assigned two primary projects:
   
            1) Assess and document the connectivity issues in the Yuzhong District, in particular near Jiefangbei (the central business district, or CBD) and Caiyuanba (a transportation hub that is slated to be redeveloped for high speed rail). Develop guidelines/best practices for the district as a whole, focusing on the goal of improving the connectivity to bring the city up to the standard of a world-class, international tourism destination.

           2) Research and present to the office examples of zoning codes from the US that have been developed to help control the unchecked growth of CBDs, without deterring the economic success of the area. This project is a little broader and it's purpose is somewhat of a time-filler -- a way to spend our time well when there might otherwise be down time in our primary project.

I'm very excited about these projects, the first one in particular. Lucia and I are working together, and I'm hopeful that we'll be able to produce a truly fantastic report by the end of the internship.

Now, for some photos of Chongqing!

Chongqing is still very much a city under development. Major infrastructure goes up daily, such as this bridge, which spans the Jialing River on the north side of the Yuzhong district (which occupies the iconic Chongqing peninsula), will ultimately connect to a mirror-image bridge on the south side of the peninsula through a tunnel.

This area in Yuzhong has some of the old housing remaining. You can see three "generations" of housing in this photo - the oldest in the center, housing built probably in the 80s or 90s on the left, and newer housing "built this century" (as I was told) on the right side of the photo. The housing in the center is slated to be redeveloped but kept "in the old style" for historical preservation purposes. 

Again, very much a city-under-construction. This is the CBD of Yuzhong, called Jeifangbei. Skyscrapers underway and construction pits everywhere.  

This is one of the newer buildings in Jiefangbei - a music hall. Incredible piece of architecture. As you might expect, it looks totally different from every angle. 

On a weekend trip back into the Yuzhong district (we live in the new north district, Yubei), we found some awesome hidden stairs that looped their way through some old neighborhoods around the edge of the peninsula along the Yangtze River.

 

More stairs, and an old-school crossing device (we did not brave the stick bridge).

The view at a flatter part of the stairs-path. That's the Yangtze in the background and the southern district of Chongqing. 

 

The main bridge that links the Yuzhong district to Nan'an, the district south of the Yangtze River. 

And finally, the best discovery so far: the shao-kao barbecue stands near our house. We have eaten dinner here twice. They set up after 9pm, when it cools off a few degrees, and serve as a socializing hub for the neighborhood. The vast array of skewers are cheap, grilled as you wait, and taste delicious. And importantly, they are nice and patient with us!