Kneel down and pray for the World Expo, cities make life better. An essay of no less than 2,000 words

Reward points: 80 - Solution time: 2010-4-28 12:47

The more words, the better, but the content must be exquisite, thank you@@

Asker: Sun Xuwang - the best answer for Level 4 "Everything started at the World Expo", this is resounding throughout the history of the World Expo This famous saying is also a guideline for us to enter the World Expo, observe the World Expo, and evaluate the World Expo.

158 years have passed since the World Expo first opened in London, England in 1851. Let’s go back and count the symbols that once represented mankind’s modern industrial civilization and social progress. These symbols have both physical objects and concepts. They were first presented at the World Expo, so it is called “Everything Starts at the World Expo.” This shows that the World Expo is a collection, The showcase of invention, display, and discovery is a platform for people to communicate and dialogue at close range, a "thinker" who explores human civilization, and a source of creativity for innovation and breakthroughs. The concepts and creativity of "Beijing and World Expo" and other software have promoted the development of science, the improvement of civilization, and the progress of society. They have also shaped the behavior and beautiful life of contemporary people, allowing us to enjoy progress, innovation, and the results of the exchange. And this is precisely the purpose of the World Expo. Therefore, I understand that everything begins with the World Expo, which demonstrates human progress and wisdom, and everything returns to society, giving back to the world and serving mankind. This is the main idea of ??my speech.

When the World Expo started, Shanghai was only 8 years old. Today, Shanghai is a metropolis with a population of 19 million. We had such a dream 100 years ago that Shanghai would host the World Expo. Now, this dream has been realized, which makes the 2010 World Expo have so many "beginnings" and recorded in the annals of history, so I think the Shanghai World Expo is worthy of everyone's joint study.

This World Expo is not only the largest held in the largest city in a developing country, but also not only because the park has the largest area, the most exhibitors, the most independent national pavilions and special pavilions, I think it is more worthy of our The focus is the first time that the world's attention has been focused on the city, the mother body of society. This World Expo has established the theme of "Better City, Better Life" as a universal concern. For the first time, it has used the city as the theme of the exhibition and opened up a unique exhibition method such as the "Urban Best Practice Area". Not to mention it is a contemporary version of "Started at the World Expo", but it is also a unique approach. "City makes life better" is not only the common vision of everyone, but also a topic that needs to be solved in today's world. Next, we need to ask how can cities make life better? I think there is a subtext behind this, that is, our lives are not good enough in many aspects, or even beautiful. We clearly feel that the image of the city as a cultural carrier is gradually drifting away. This kind of excited material desire has made the cultural face of the city pale and haggard. In addition, excessive development and construction and self-proclaimed "beautiful" behaviors have actually caused an overdraft of resources and faced the challenge of "cutting off supply." The environment and ecology have been damaged and cannot be repaired, and the human settlement environment has deteriorated and is unsustainable. The prevalence of "urban diseases" has caused depression in living space, reduced efficiency, filled the sky with haze, and threatened physical and mental health. Such situations make it difficult for people in the city to be "happy".

We still need to solve these problems in urban development in the development of cities. For a better life, we still need to find answers and explore paths in cities. Therefore, in the practice of urban change and innovation, let us people who come to the city not only be able to live, but also live better. Therefore, we place our hope on the 2010 Shanghai World Expo to have a brilliant interpretation of the theme "Better City, Better Life". This theme, first of all, belongs to Shanghai. Of course, it also belongs to China, the world, and each of us. We are here to interpret such a theme together.

1. Diverse exchanges and unique culture

Chapter 1, Article 1 of the "International Exhibition Convention" clearly states that the World Expo is a display event that can demonstrate what mankind has mastered. It is a means of meeting the needs of civilization, showing the progress made by mankind through struggle in one or more fields, or looking forward to the future prospects.

Shanghai World Expo is the same as previous World Expos. Participants will use their own ideas and experiences to show their own unique skills and miracles to explain how cities can make life better. As history has developed to this day, cities have also evolved into the contemporary era. People’s requirements are obviously not that cities provide physiological living conditions, but that cities can nourish beautiful lives and create good human settlements at the cultural, ecological and social levels. environment and harmonious humanistic atmosphere and atmosphere.

Today, one of the problems that makes it difficult for cities to become beautiful is the lack of urban culture and the crisis of characteristics. Human cultural heritage records the footprints of human civilization. Especially these classics and masterpieces listed on the World Cultural Heritage List, there are many buildings in urban blocks. Many of our city streets, squares, and buildings have been included in the catalog of world cultural heritage. But now, with the globalization of the economy, the opening up of cities, cultural exchanges, the flow of planners and architects, and the common use of materials and technologies, the materials and technologies used by everyone now are almost the same. We see that cities around the world are becoming more and more similar, with streets becoming more and more similar, and buildings becoming more and more the same. Is this the sameness of cities and the world? At that time, Mr. Liang Sicheng once pointed out that the standard design of our current residential areas is so uniform that "a child crying cannot find a home." I wonder, in the future, will people in the world encounter the dilemma of which place is their home and which city is their hometown? This is a question of whether to recognize cultural diversity and whether to maintain one's own cultural characteristics during the process of cultural exchanges. This is a global problem and a city-specific problem.

UNESCO adopted an International Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Content and Artistic Expressions in 2005. About 184 countries have signed this convention. It passed very smoothly, with only two countries objecting and the rest agreeing. These two countries are the United States and Israel. It is said that the United States is worried that if it signs the "Contract for the Protection of Cultural Diversity", the export of American culture may be hindered, so the United States does not sign it, and the other one is Israel. This convention confirms the principle that cultural diversity is a basic characteristic of mankind and the unique heritage of mankind. Cultural diversity creates a colorful world. We agree with this principle. It can be understood this way, at least this is how I understand it. Diversity lies in differences and each has its own characteristics. Imagine that if there is a lack of characteristics and convergence, and there is no genetic difference but all are clones and copies, there will be no need for communication and dialogue. Because everyone is the same, why communicate? There is no need for dialogue, and there is no integration and development. Therefore, based on this understanding, we adhered to one of the principles for selecting the China Pavilion plan for the Shanghai World Expo. We hope that the China Pavilion will have Chinese characteristics and contain Chinese elements. The China Pavilion is a technical support provided by the Architectural Society of China, so when selecting the plan, we determined such a principle.

What makes us happy is that the Chinese National Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo does not show the similarity in form and blurring of identity that everyone is worried about. Judging from the plans proposed by various countries and the themes of the on-site buildings, each national pavilion The architectural language and appearance visual effects used can be said to be unconventional, unique, unique, and leading the way, which is very exciting. When appreciating these works, we should pay more attention to studying and interpreting the connotation contained in his appearance. The content carried by its situation and the humanistic appeal and reflection in the process of showing off skills. They consciously shape their own image, strive to express their identity, declare their ideas and creativity, and show their spirit and temperament. In the process, they jointly interpret the theme of "Better City, Better Life" .

Through the national pavilion of Ling Ling Zong Zong, we felt the diversity of culture, cultural characteristics and cultural exchanges through the carrier of architecture, as well as the confidence of the city and the beauty of life interpreted by these buildings. . Therefore, I think this is a very important legacy for the future and for Shanghai.

The China Pavilion uses Chinese elements and a solemn and elegant style to display the developing cultural image of China. The Luxembourg Pavilion next to it, a small-scale castle surrounded by green trees, is a presentation in the forest. It uses this idea to express its identity and to show that it plays the role of the green heart of Europe. The big ones have great courage, and the small ones have small charm. In the Australia Pavilion, the colors used on the walls remind people of Australia’s wild, indigenous beauty. The American Pavilion looks elegant, refined and full of life.

The style is different, the appearance is different, but they are all so exciting. The Korean Pavilion uses Korean characters as architectural elements, which not only expresses its own identity, because Koreans use such characters, but also reflects the important role of characters in cultural exchanges between countries. In the Japan Pavilion, silkworms are used to symbolize Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges. Both sides are from the East and are our immediate neighbors, but their expressions are different. The Russian Pavilion, with its red, gold and white towers, is an architectural version of the Russian folk dance ring dance. Red, gold and white represent beauty, prosperity and purity respectively, which is very Russian style. The German Pavilion is composed of four different deformed bodies, forming a harmonious theme and reflecting the rigorous and rational style of the Germans. The porcelain exterior wall of the Austrian pavilion means that the porcelain exported by China to Europe has returned to its hometown. The Saudi Arabia Pavilion represents the Maritime Silk Road, connecting the two ancient civilizations of China and Arabia. Israel is two streamlined buildings intertwined. The Norwegian Pavilion is supported by large pillars, which makes it look like you have seen a Nordic forest. Finland Pavilion means glacial lake. The UAE is called Sand Dunes. Pakistan, the design is inspired by the world cultural heritage castle. The Singapore Pavilion uses the two elements of flowing water and garden to form the shape of a music box. When you enter it, you feel as if you are enjoying the symphony of the city. The Netherlands Pavilion on the right shows the 8-shaped Happy Street, where you can appreciate the streets and style of the Netherlands. The Swiss Pavilion uses degradable resin protein materials to showcase new technologies and materials. The Spanish Pavilion also uses environmentally friendly materials, such as the wicker frame made of thousands of wicker sticks, which allows for natural ventilation and lighting.

What I particularly want to say is the British Pavilion. It is very strange. It is a furry alternative building with 70,000 eight-meter-long tentacles that can sway in the wind, like a living collective. Each colored beard will change with the light source. How can this building be connected with Britain? What does it have to do with Britain? In fact, the pursuit of original creativity has always been the focus of British cultural trends and policy guidance. So I think the reason why it is the British Pavilion lies in its context, which is the UK’s pursuit of cultural creativity. The British government issued the British Cultural and Creative Industry Path Document twice in 1998 and 2001. The document identified 13 industries including advertising, artwork, software, and computer services as creative industries to encourage bold innovation.

We see that in terms of urban creativity theory, there are three most authoritative creativity theorists in the world, and the one most recommended by the industry is a British scholar named Charles Landry. His masterpiece is called Creative City, a tool book for urban innovation. He asked, what is the new urban planning strategy? He said: "Examine how people think, plan and act creatively in cities. Explore how we can make our cities more liveable and dynamic by harnessing people's imagination and talents." I think this is his context. The country encourages your creativity, and a lot of theoretical research is at the forefront of the world, which is why there is such a British Pavilion. Knowing this, it is not difficult for us to understand why the British Pavilion comes from the UK and represents the UK.

Overall, the construction of venues for the Shanghai World Expo, including pavilions from various countries and regions, presents us with a wonderful architectural exhibition, giving us inspiration and lessons, that is, in various civilizations, In the process of exchange and integration of various cultures, including urban civilization and architectural culture, we don’t have to worry too much about the disappearance of characteristics and the interruption of tradition. Things will always adjust their direction as they develop. When we see that everyone is converging, we will adjust and we will not continue to converge.

The most common knowledge people have gained in the process of practical collision is that in the process of communication and dialogue between different cultures, we must not only accommodate the existence of different civilizations, but also inherit our own cultural traditions. Learn from advanced and successful experiences, take the best of others, and develop and show yourself, embodying cultural sovereignty for your own use. If this is the case, our characteristics will have new content, our traditions will develop and innovate, and we will be able to make different regions and different national cultures more elegant and exciting. The Shanghai World Expo has made a good start in this regard. I believe it will definitely return to society and the fields of urban planning and architectural design, and our city will definitely become better.

2. Regarding low-carbon and green actions

The core value of the World Expo is innovation. Since 1933, we know that the 1933 Chicago World Expo was the first to have a theme. Chicago's theme is the Century of Progress.

For half a century, World Expos from all walks of life have set clear themes. These themes are all related to human development and have clear orientations. We have noticed that in the past 50 years, more than two-thirds of the themes of about 20 World Expos have been related to the earth, ecology and human settlements.

"Humanity in the Age of the Universe" in 1962, "Humanity and the World" in 1967, "Human Progress and Harmony" in 1970, "Environment" in 1974, "Ocean" in 1975, etc. They are all related to the living environment. There were two sessions in 1985. Until 2008 in Spain, with the theme of "Water and Sustainable Development".

More than 2/3 of the topics are related to ecology and environment. Obviously, through these topics we can verify that environment and ecology have become the topics of greatest concern in the world today. The theme of the Shanghai World Expo is "Better City, Better Life". I think the beauty of this theme is that it has a trend of "better", a better life, and a kind of expectation. Therefore, the World Expo is not only cultural, but also ecological and green. Shanghai is a city extremely short of energy. Under the guidance of the national scientific development strategy, Shanghai has proposed a low-carbon development model and launched more than 200 major scientific and technological projects in industry, transportation, resource recycling, and low-carbon practice areas. The project has laid a technical foundation and technical support for low-carbon development. Shanghai has been listed by the World Wildlife Fund as one of the first two pilot cities for low-carbon urban development in China.

It can be said that Shanghai’s low-carbon model path is clearly visible. In 2010, the Shanghai World Expo paid great attention to ecological and environmental issues in the world. The year before we held it, that is, last year, a world climate summit was held in Copenhagen. It was also in Shanghai that we planned scientific development and embarked on a low-carbon path to explore. In practice, we hosted this World Expo. In all aspects of the Expo process, including site selection, layout, construction, public facilities, transportation, and services, the principle of ecological priority must be adhered to. This should be the implication of the theme of "Better City, Better Life" .

In July 2009, the Shanghai World Expo Coordination Bureau and the Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau jointly released the environmental assessment report of the Shanghai World Expo. This was an important signal from the organizer to hold a green World Expo. In August, the United Nations Joint Program released the environmental assessment report of the Shanghai World Expo, which affirmed the green efforts and low-carbon measures of the Shanghai World Expo. Therefore, we have reason to believe that the Shanghai World Expo is also an environmental event focusing on low-carbon experiments and green actions, with many highlights.

First of all, I think it is a matter of location. The location of the Shanghai World Expo was very strategic and the old industrial transformation area in the center of the city was chosen. This not only matches the theme of the city, but also drives and realizes It promotes the organic renewal of the old city, activates the decaying old city center, and makes it beautiful again.

It must be said that it is a kind of wisdom and courage. The current location of the park is Shanghai and the manufacturing base of modern steel and manufacturing industries in China. It is mainly an industrial area and dock area based on ships. The layout of the 5.28 kilometers has become increasingly confusing, and problems such as land shortages have become increasingly prominent, involving the transformation of old areas. It is extremely challenging to choose such an area as the Expo site. The planners and decision-makers of the park did not use the usual method of bulldozing to appropriate the site. Instead, based on the concept of respecting the history, city, and resources, in addition to relocating some factories and residents, the old buildings on the site were also relocated. and modern industrial heritage, to be protected, utilized and transformed as much as possible. It is estimated that 380,000 square meters of buildings will be included in the protection scope, and 250,000 square meters of original industrial plants will be transformed into venues and supporting suites. This not only comprehensively renews the 5.28 square kilometers of the old city, but also brings greater vitality to Pudong and Puxi cities and improves urban functions. The construction of a new ecological corridor covering an area of ??1 million square meters will greatly improve the ecological quality of the area. In addition, many public works of art will be installed in the future, which will also turn this formerly gray cultural blind spot into a beautiful landscape (Forum News). The site selection concept of the Shanghai World Expo will surely become a model for urban renewal and have a profound impact. Site selection is very smart and challenging. The measures taken are very good.

Second, the widespread application of green technology has directly created green parks with low carbon emissions.

Whether it is infrastructure or a single building, whether it is a permanent building or a temporary venue, whether it is a new building or a renovated old building, designers have taken advanced and effective measures in energy conservation, emission reduction, resource conservation and environmental load reduction. technology and materials. The entire Expo embodies the concept of a low-carbon Expo. There are at least three aspects. The first is the transportation in the park. It adopts the zero-emission planning concept, establishes hydrogenation gas stations, and uses more than 1,000 supercapacitor vehicles and fuel cell vehicles to solve traffic problems. Second, in terms of energy selection, photovoltaics and solar thermal, as well as wind energy, geothermal energy, precipitation source heat, etc., should be integrated according to local conditions to conduct exploratory experiments in establishing a new energy structure for the city. The third is green building, which is superior in technology and integrates and utilizes energy saving, water saving, material saving, ventilation, peripheral insulation, rainwater recycling and other aspects, some of which started at the Shanghai World Expo.

The theme pavilion has the world’s largest ecological green wall, covering an area of ??50,000 square meters. Ours was twice the size of the previous largest green wall at Expo Aichi. In addition, the Urban Exploration Pavilion, one of the five themed pavilions, was transformed from the main building of an old power plant and adopted a number of green technologies. This may be the first green building converted from an old factory in China. The Expo Center can be called a master of green technology, with good results in energy and water conservation. The energy saving rate is as high as 62.8%, the utilization rate of non-traditional water resources is 61.3%, miscellaneous water consumption accounts for 76.7% of domestic water consumption, recycled rainwater can be used up to 30,000 cubic meters, and a program-controlled micro-irrigation system can save 50% to 70% of water.

Third, the launch of the Urban Best Practice Zone is a collective appearance of green action. The Urban Best Practice Area, which started at the Shanghai World Expo, is the highlight of the 2010 World Expo. This is also an old city and old neighborhood. The planning intention is clear. On the one hand, it provides an exhibition venue for excellent practice cases from various countries. At the same time, the practice area itself should also become a best practice case. In the best practice area, industrial buildings have been preserved, accounting for more than 60% of the total buildings in the area, reflecting restoration, transformation and utilization under the premise of protection. Make it have new functions, energy-saving and environmentally friendly qualities, and embed some cultural and fashion elements, which not only retains the historical genes, but also shows the spirit of the times. 56 cities from 28 countries participated, 15 of which had physical displays. This exhibition area allows everyone to share the concepts and experiences of successful implementation in various countries and regions, and can also satisfy visitors' personal experience and on-the-spot feelings. This is a centralized demonstration block for new concepts, new ideas, new materials, new products, new technologies and new processes in urban development. It is a "model room" that interprets the theme of the World Expo, and is also a collective debut of green actions. Here, I think there are a lot of details that are worth taking a look at. Buildings in Germany have energy saving rates as high as 90%. We say that buildings consume electricity, but they can produce electricity. It is very airtight and can keep the air fresh. Including maintaining a constant indoor temperature and striving for high comfort, they all perform well. I think the exhibits in the Shanghai area are also a collection of many energy-saving and environmentally friendly technologies. 70% use mature and simple technologies, and 30% are forward-looking guidance technologies. These technologies reflect the advanced and practical modernization of the housing industry in Shanghai and the country. Something that is also worth seeing.

I also particularly recommend the British architecture. The original version was in the suburbs of London, England. It was an award-winning project called a zero-emission building. Now I have moved to Shanghai and the Best Urban Practice Area. You can participate in this very famous building without going to London. It will surprise you. Copenhagen also wants to build a bicycle city. Copenhagen wants to achieve carbon neutrality and zero carbon by 2025. There are many other projects that will surprise you. I believe that the urban best practice area that started at the Shanghai World Expo, together with many excellent cases, will definitely achieve intuitive and good cases.