Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Monday, October 06, 2014

Cloud Citizen, Futuristic 'Super City,' Wins Contest For New Shenzhen Business District

The picture above isn’t the cover of a new sci-fi novel; it’s the winner of a competition to design a new business district for Shenzhen, China.

The city, a neighbour of Hong Kong long overshadowed by its wealthier, flashier cousin, asked designers to submit plans for a 170-hectare business district featuring at least three high-rise towers, a mix of commercial and cultural facilities, and, as ArchDaily put it, it “had to give back to the environment.”

Here’s what won (story continues below):
shenzhen super city
shenzhen super city
Dubbed “Cloud Citizen,” the winning proposal was created by Urban Future Group and RC-Design, with the aid of Chalmers Technical University in Sweden.
The tallest tower in the complex rises 2,230 feet, making it about 50 per cent taller than Toronto’s CN Tower.
shenzhen super city
shenzhen super city
The idea behind the competition was to create an iconic new business district, like Paris’ hyper-modern La Defence, or London’s Canary Wharf, ArchDaily reports.
But unlike those business districts, Cloud Citizen comprises a single, integrated building.
shenzhen super city
shenzhen super city
Cloud Citizen “is a singular iconographic mega building complex with an identifiable and striking skyline giving character and hope to the vision of a greener future enabled by human enterprise,” the designers write.
That’s a pretty big mouthful for a pretty big project.
shenzhen super city
shenzhen super city
We at HuffPost couldn’t find any information as to how likely it is this winning proposal will actually get built, but plans like this have been proposed before and so far, they haven't been able to get off the ground.
Then again, China builds entire cities no one lives in, so economic viability might not be an issue.
Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.ca/
Author: The Huffington Post Canada

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