ARCH 5731A
Topical Studies in Urbanism:
Urban Innovation and Entrepreneurship in
Contemporary China
Lecturer: Tat Lam & Ho Man Yeung
Tatlam2218@gmail.com, Legg@shanzhai.city
+852 6800 7447, +852 5933 4230
Rm 501, 135 Hoi Bun Road, Hong Kong
9:30am – 12:15 nn, Thursday
Venue:
Venue: YIA
ELBLT4
207
DESCRIPTION
What happens when the mindsets of urbanism clashes with that of tech-based
start-ups? Two folds of consequences have been observed in the past five years: On
the one hand, urban lifestyle has changed dramatically with digital service platforms
such as Uber, Air bnb and Zipcar which taps into underutilized resources from private
assets. On the other, realms of data technology, such as Big Data Development,
Machine Learning and Predictive Modeling, has offered new methodologies for
problem identification and resolution. For example, the localized problems of traffic
jam in Boston is successfully mitigated simply by an APP which located parking
spaces for drivers who may otherwise navigate endlessly on streets. The discipline of
urban studies seems to have reached a new action-taking platform with a diverse
range of technically and financially affordable tools.
To this end, urban innovators will need insights, research methodologies, execution
techniques, capital and above all, the ambitious but genuine mentality to affect
positive change. Therefore, through opportunistic but critical lenses, this seminar will
offer students deep reading, executable tools and room of cross-disciplinary
explorations to the ubiquitous yet complex development problems of urban China.
There are three different but relevant mechanisms to this seminar: lectures,
workshops and pitch sessions. The lectures will expose students to the diverse fields
of urban scenarios and shaping forces in China and Hong Kong, such as
self-organized urbanism in Urban Villages, top-down development structure in New
Village Construction Initiatives and the role of land and power behind them. The
workshops will collaborate with experts from fields of Machine Learning (big data
technology), Participatory Community Research and Entrepreneurism, to equip
students with methodologies and hands-on experience of these tools. Lastly, in the
pitch sessions students will be shared with cases from professional practice, for the
breath of executed ideas and realistic challenges. As much as professional
experience will be passed out, students’ ideas will be taken in form of “elevator
pitches”, whose final versions will be presented to real social investors and
entrepreneurs, in order to connect academia to the crude but exciting reality.
The seminar will depart from the general research and observation of urbanism, to
propose proactive strategies which utilize multi-disciplinary tools to bring urban
innovative ideas to the marketplace. This seminar will closely relate to Prof. Tat Lam’s
teaching at M. Arch I Studio.
OBJECTIVES



To develop critical, concise and in-depth reading of contemporary urbanism in
China;
To gain new tools of urban research, design thinking concept development,
and execution plan development;
To propose executable urban intervention strategies with innovative tools by
students.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Through this seminar, students are expected to expand their capabilities of tool-based
analysis, methodology-based research and project-based execution planning. There
should be a basic understanding that these three capacities be applied as a
continuous and transformative process to leverage critical thinking into executable
plans, which enable urbanists to engage with real world resources, such as
professional advice, talent pool, mentorship and capital. More specifically, students
will experience a concise process from problem identification, research
methodologies design, to marketing research outcomes as executive prototypes to
audience of diverse background, such as the academia, the public and the
entrepreneurial network. Some key outcomes are listed as below,



Problem definition through creative and design thinking strategies
Development of case specific research methodologies
Conception of execution plan


Design of precise and effective means to convey creative ideas
ASSIGNMENTS
Research paper, executable proposal plan, impact/performance management
systems. Projects will be conducted in groups of 3-4.
Mid-term presentation:
Format: Elevator-pitch sessions
Students will be expected to explain preliminary project ideas and strategies in short
presentation formats of 5 slides presented within 5 minutes.
Final presentation:
Format: Panel discussion and elevator-pitch sessions
Students will be expected to produce A0 panels, which synthesize research findings
and methodologies into executable proposals. Short presentations of 10 minutes will
be given to invited guests.
Final Submission:
Format: Written report of research analysis, execution plan or web-based dashboards
for performance management prototypes
Students will be expected to produce any two of the above deliverables, written
reports will be in short and precise format, while web-based prototypes will be
launched online.
ASSESSMENT SCHEME
In-class participation: [20%]
Mid-term presentation with slides [20%]
Final presentation with slides and panel [30%]
Final submission with research paper, execution proposal or web-based prototypes
(any two of the three) [30%]
COURSE FORMAT
This seminar consists lecture presentations, guest presentation and sharing,
workshops with experts to introduce specific research tools, students’ presentations,
and group discussions of assigned readings.
READINGS
A reading list is proposed for each class mentioned in the schedule section. A digital
PDF [course reader] which complies all recommended readings of book chapters and
reports will be distributed to the student during class.
IMPORTANT NOTES TO STUDENTS
Attention is drawn to University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work,
and to the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such
policy and regulations.
Details may be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/. With each
assignment, students may be required to submit a statement that they are aware of
these policies, regulations, guidelines and procedures.
WEEKLY SYLLABUS
Week 1 Course Introduction and Discussion
Date: 10th September, 2015
Introduction to basic format and contents covered in the course. Discussions will be
held to in-take students’ expectations of the course.
Required Readings:
+Ananya Roy, 2011. The Agonism of Utopia: Dialectics at a Standstill, in Traditional
Dwellings and Settlements Review, Vol. 23, No. 1 (FALL 2011), International
Association for the Study of Traditional Environments, pp. 15-24
+ Kevin Chika and Ernest Nti Acheampong, (2013). Social Innovation Creates
Properous Societies. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Summer 2013. Article can
be downloaded from:
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/social_innovation_creates_prosperous_societi
es
Recommended Reading:
+Dan Pallotta, 2013. The way we think about charity is dead wrong [Video and
Transcript]
TED Talks (13th February 2013), Article can be downloaded from:
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong
?language=en
Week 2 Urban Innovation
Date: 17th September, 2015
Presentation: Shanzhai City - Grassroot innovation and entrepreneurship
Lecturer: Tat Lam and Ho Man Yeung
Through studying urban villages in Shenzhen, informal economies in Huaqiangbei
and other contemporary urban phenomena, the class will explore the linkage between
urban grass root empowerment with new trends of entrepreneurship in China.
Required Readings:
+ Economist (2014), Hacking Shenzhen: Why southern China is the best place in the
world for a hardware innovator to be, Economist, 18th January, 2014. Article can be
downloaded from:
http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593590-why-southern-china-best-pl
ace-world-hardware-innovator-be-hacking
+ Jonathan Bach , “They Come in Peasants and Leave Citizens: Urban Villages and
the Making of Shenzhen, China”, Cultural Anthropology 25:3(2010), 421-458
Recommended Readings:
+ Y.P. Wang, Y. Wang and J. Wu (2009), Urbanization and Informal Development in
China: Urban Villages in Shenzhen. International Journal of Urban and Regional
Research, 33: 957-973
Week 3 Rural is the new urban
Date: 24th September, 2015
Presentation: Rural entrepreneurship development and its urban implications
Lecturer: Ho Man Yeung
Cases of entrepreneurial development in China, including tradition, contemporary and
best practices will be introduced. The implication or relationship they have with rural
immigration pattern, household registration system, and identity issues will be
discussed. The development opportunities which informal and shared economy has to
offer will also be covered.
Required Readings:
+ Martin King Whyte (2010). One Country, Two Societies: Rural-urban Inequality in
Contemporary China. Boston: Harvard University Press, pp1-28.
Recommended Readings:
+Thomas J. Campanella, 2008. The Concrete Dragon: China’s Urban Revolution and
What it Means for the World. NJ: Princeton Architectural Press, pp27-43
Week 4 (Public Holiday)
Date: 1st October, 2015
Week 5 Methodologies: Urban big data –Part 1
Date: 8th October, 2015
Guest lecture: Data mining and machine learning simulation (Skype/Flown-in
guest)
Lecturer: Prof. Danil Nagy, Urban Planning Program at Columbia University
Students will be introduced to the realm of data technology, the definition of “Big Data”,
its development, mining process, machine learning principles and visualization
techniques. Its methodologies and application will be explored in the field of urban
research and entrepreneurism.
Required Readings:
+Kenneth Cukier and Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger, 2013. The Rise of Big Data: How
It’s Changing The Way We Think About the World. Foreign Affairs, (92:3) June 2013.
pp1-14
+ Shannon Mattern (2015). Mission Control: A History of the Urban Dashboard
[Narrative Journalism]. Places Journal, March, 2015. Article can be downloaded from:
https://placesjournal.org/article/mission-control-a-history-of-the-urban-dashboard/
Recommended Readings:
+ Antonio Regalado (2014), Is Google Concerning the Market on Deep Learning?,
MIT Technology Review, 29th January, 2014. Article can be downloaded from:
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/524026/is-google-cornering-the-market-on-d
eep-learning/
+ Dan McQuillan (2014), Smart slums: Utopian or dystopian vision of the future?, The
Guardian, 6th October, 2014. Article can be downloaded from:
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/oct/06/s
mart-slums-smart-city-kenya-mapping
Week 6 Methodologies: Urban big data – 2
Date: 15th October, 2015
Workshop: Social media data mining tool and basic visualization development
Lecturer: Prof. Danil Nagy, Urban Planning Program at Columbia University
Using a set of available data mined from social media platforms, tutorials on data
mining and visualization techniques will be offers. Students will then conduct in-class
experiments with these tools. (Please prepare your own computer for this workshop)
Required Readings:
+ Danil Nagy, (Nov, 2014). Data Mining the City FA14 [online tutorials]. Retrieved
from:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO3dE-LAez90sbAleQT6JZA
+ Shannon Mattern, (2014). Interfacing Urban Intelligence [Narrative Journalism].
Places Journal, April, 2014. Article can be downloaded from:
https://placesjournal.org/article/interfacing-urban-intelligence/
Recommended Reading:
+China Internet Network Information Center (2011). 2010 Research Report on
Internet Development in China’s Rural Villages. China Internet Network Information
Center, August 2011. Pp1-38
Week 7 Methodologies: Urban fieldwork
Date: 22nd October, 2015
Guest lecture + Workshop: Conducting fieldwork research in both city and rural
context
Lecturer: TBC
Basic principles and methodologies of participatory research will be covered. Guest
speaker will share field work experience and reflections using several community
projects as examples. In a follow-up workshop, students will participate in a process
of problem identification, field work strategy development and preparation.
Required Reading:
+Carlo Ginzburg and Anna Davin (1980), Morelli Freud and Sherlock Holmes, Clues
and Scientific Method. In History Workshop No.9. Oxford University (Spring 1980).
pp5-36
Recommended Reading:
+Nigel Barley. The Innocent Anthropologist: Notes from a Mud Hut. Waveland Press
(1st January 1983).
Week 8 Methodologies: Urban and social entrepreneurship
Date: 29th October, 2015
Guest Lecture + Workshop: Social Entrepreneurship Development
Lecturer: TBC
Introduction to entrepreneurism through business thinking: Root cause identification
strategies will be explored, as well as the solutions to these root causes as executable
business ideas. The development and necessary resources to these ideas, such as
business planning and fund raising, will also be discussed. In a follow-up workshop,
students will attempt to develop their first business plan for an idea to affect social
change.
Required Readings:
+ Roger L. Martin and Sally Osberg, (2014). Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for
Definition. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2007. Article can be
downloaded from:
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/social_entrepreneurship_the_case_for_definiti
on
+ James A. Phills Jr., Kriss Deiglmeier and Dale T. Miller, (2018).Rediscovering Social
Innovation. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2008. Article can be downloaded
from:
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/rediscovering_social_innovation/
Recommended Readings:
+ Elizabeth Garlow and Rich Tafel, (2014). The Power of a Simple and Inclusive
Definition. Stanford Social Innovation Review, May 2013. Article can be downloaded
from:
http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/the_power_of_a_simple_and_inclusive_definition
+ Richard McGill and Denielle Sachs, (2013). The Rise of Social Entrepreneurship
Suggests A Possible Future For Global Capitalism. Forbes, 2nd May 2013. Article can
be downloaded from:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/skollworldforum/2013/05/02/the-rise-of-social-entreprene
urship-suggests-a-possible-future-for-global-capitalism/
Week 9 Case Study: Impact investment and returns of social investment
Date: 5th November, 2015
Presentation:
Impact measurement Methodologies
Lecturer: Ho Man Yeung
The concept of impact investment as an agent of change will be discussed through
cases from recent Chinese and global social enterprises. The means to validate
change (impact assessment) and represent this change (impact communication) will
be introduced from the recent research conducted by Shanzhai City on Impact
Assessment Methodologies. In a follow-up session, students will learn the
components of an impact program, which includes impact development, data
collection, data analysis and communication platform design. Then students will
attempt to design a case-specific “impact map” with the guidance of the speaker.
Preliminary pitch presentations from students. (5 minutes each)
Required Readings:
+ Jane Wei-Skillern, James E. Austin, Herman Leonard and Howard Stevenson, 2007.
Chapter 7: Measuring Performance, in Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector, SAGE
Publications, Inc. (May 24, 2007), pp. 321-343
+ J. P. Morgan Global Research, 2010. Impact Investments: An emerging asset class,
J. P. Morgan and The Rockerfeller Foundation, 29th November 2010. Article can be
downloaded from:
http://ventureatlanta.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/JP-Morgan-impact_investments
_nov2010.pdf
Recommended Readings:
+ Sabine Garbarino and Jeremy Holland, 2009. Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
in Impact Evaluation and Measuring Results, Governance and Social Development
Resource Center.
+ The City of New York, (2014). One New York: The Plan for a Strong and Just City
[Annual Report]. New York Government, 2014. Article can be downloaded from:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/onenyc/downloads/pdf/publications/OneNYC.pdf
Week 10 Case Study: New Real Estate + Students’ Presentations
Date: 12th November, 2015
Guest Lecture: Bit-coin real estate: New insights on property transaction (Skype)
& Discussion:
Lecturer: Prof. Travis Bunt, Columbia University Real Estate Program
Guest speaker will shared his speculation on China’s real estate development and a
start-up case which adopts Bit-coin currency in real estate trading.
Mid-term presentations from students. (5 minutes each)
Required Readings:
-To be confirmed with guest lecturer
Week 11 Case Study: Farm business development + Students’ Presentations
Date: 19th November, 2015
Presentation:
Farm Think – Diversification of agri-business for rural development
Lecturer: Ho Man Yeung
O2O, source-tracing, certification and fair-trade systems, these tools have put new
models of agri-business under the spot-light of rural development in China. This
seminar will unpack the complex relationship between the adoption of these tools and
issues of food transparencies and trust, as well as farm-to-table value chain and its
values. Through an introduction to the new hardware and software for agri-business,
students can also explore applications of data technology and business thinking for
rural agricultural development.
Check-in presentations from students. (5 minutes each)
Required Readings:
+Marin Agricultural Land Trust (2014). 2013-2014 Annual Report: Saving Family
Farms, now and forever. [Report]. Malt Marin Agricultural Land Trust, 2014. Article
can be downloaded from:
http://www.malt.org/newsletters
+ CCTV, (2015). How to manage financial risks—Buy a sheep from the internet
[Documentary]. CCTV, 17th January 205. Retrieved from:
http://tv.cntv.cn/video/C11350/55faf23f08b94c5fbb66f3e4d0380687?from=timeline&is
appinstalled=0
+Yuso Pang, (2015). Thoughts on “Internet + Community Fresh Food Supply Chain +
Eco-Tourism Farms” [Blog]. New Agricultural Village and Modern Agriculture, 10th
June, 2015. Article can be downloaded from:
http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA5Nzk1MjcyNg==&mid=207587309&idx=2&sn=
5047eb34b774bc5318b441e5abad2059#rd
Recommended Readings:
+G.W. Stevenson and Rich Pirog, (2013). Value-based food supply chains: Strategies
for agri-food enterprises-of-the-middle [Report]. The Center of Integrated Agricultural
Systems, June, 2013. Article can be downloaded from:
http://www.cias.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/valuechainstrategiesfinal07251
3.pdf
+Wendy Rawlings, (2014). Let’s Talk about Shredded Romaine Lettuce [Narrative
Journalism]. Places Journal, March, 2014. Article can be downloaded from:
https://placesjournal.org/article/lets-talk-about-shredded-romaine-lettuce/
Week 12 Case Study: Start-up a foundation + Students’ Presentations
Date: 26th November, 2015
Presentation:
Left-behind children education foundation
Lecturer: Neil Gaddes, Ho Man Yeung
In this seminar, Shanzhai City will continue to share its current research challenges
and insights on China’s rural development, using a project in Mianning, Sichuan. The
ubiquitous and typical rural problems resulted from mass migration towards cities,
such as left-behind children and unthoughtful new village construction will be
re-examined case-specifically. The insights and hurdles of starting-up an education
foundation, which intend to collaborate closely with corporations, government, grass
root farmers and left-behind children will be discussed in-depth with students.
Check-in presentations from students. (5 minutes each)
Required Readings:
+Xiang Biao, 2007. How Far are the Left-Behind Left Behind? A Preliminary Study in
Rural China, in Popul. Space Place 13, Wiley InterScience, (7th December 2007), pp.
179-191
+April Ma, (2014. China raises a generation of ‘left-behind’ children [News Journalism].
CNN News, 4th Feburary 2014. Article can be downloaded from:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/04/world/asia/china-children-left-behind/
(Schedule of final presentation to be confirmed)