As the "eldest son" of the new workers' village in China, Cao Yang New Village, with its forward-looking planning, broke away from the "toilet queue, coal stove succession, no sunshine" under the neon lights of the concession and became a dignified living world for residents represented by model workers.
On June 13, the highlight of "China Heritage Day" and the theme exhibition "Keeping Homesickness-Urban Life and Historical Memory" will be held in Shanghai Urban Planning Museum. Here, Cao Yang New Village, which is over 60 years old, will become the protagonist of the exhibition together with historical sites (roads) such as Wu Kang Road and Shaanxi North Road. But what is different is that Cao Yang New Village not only has a unique architectural form, but also uses the development history of a community to show the significance of urban planning in building a livable life.
Planned "human touch"
Li Shude, a 60-year-old retired artist in Cao Yang Cinema, can condense a series of ups and downs in a poster, but when facing the still Cao Yang New Village, he often feels that the description is not enough.
"Looking at the reflection in the water is the most beautiful time around the river in Cao Yang New Village." Lao Li accompanied the reporter to stroll in the new village of Cao Yang in early summer. On both sides of the river, decades of oleander, thick branches extend to the water surface, and dense flowers and rich shade cover almost the whole water surface. The delicate leaves of the water lily spread out into small disks and floated gently on the water. ...
In addition to water, the greenery of the phoenix tree in front of and behind the house in the village also adds a lot of color to Lao Li's works. "White walls, red roofs and green trees are considered to be the unique villa scenery of foreign films at the beginning of liberation. Even today, it is an ideal livable community environment. " He believes that the greening of Cao Yang New Village has both aesthetic significance and ecological function. "In summer, the new village is two or three degrees cooler than the new village; Shanghai has been evaluating this avenue for two years. It can be said that every road in Cao Yang New Village is a avenue! "
No wonder the students of Zheng Shiling, an architectural expert from Tongji University, want to write down their childhood memories in their blogs-"They like to take a shortcut from Cao Yang Xincun by bus. At first, they wanted to save 5 cents on the bus fare, but they soon liked this place with winding roads, open green spaces, trees and water. "
Cao Yang New Village is a spiritual feast for artists and planners.
Zhu Xiaoming, an associate professor at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, has wandered around the new village for countless times. Here, the rich water network and pastoral atmosphere of the original base are still preserved. The road extends along the river, while buildings with white walls and red tiles fan out along the road. Large lattice leaky windows and green wooden windows full of local feelings can accommodate enough sunshine, and the wooden stairs look cordial. The winding Huaxi Road was built along the waterfront, and the relationship among people, water and nature was considered by planners more than 60 years ago.
What surprised Zhu Xiaoming even more was that Shanghai, which was in a state of great waste, did not adopt the big neighborhood layout of the former Soviet Union, which was axisymmetric, closed in space and memorable, but adopted the concept of "neighborhood unit" put forward by the United States in the 1920s: at least 10% of the community land was open to public spaces or parks; Every three buildings at most, there must be an open public space. A village in Cao Yang takes primary school as its core, and its neighbors are laid out with a service radius of 600 meters. You can enjoy all kinds of public facilities within 7-8 minutes' walk. Li Shude rubbed his fingers. "In a new village, there are two parks, two hospitals, a cultural palace, a youth activity center, theaters, kindergartens, primary schools and middle schools. And such a well-equipped community is probably rare now ... It is said that Cao Yang New Village has long realized that there must be a park 500 meters away from home and a bus in 5 minutes! "
What's more, more than half a century ago, every household had three toilets and kitchens with squatting places, with a per capita living area of 4 square meters, and the distance between houses was 1.8 times longer than the current sunshine distance in Shanghai ... For the model workers who lived in boats, shanty towns or narrow lanes all the year round, a yellow croaker car was not enough to carry all their belongings, and this standard far exceeded their imagination.
Wang Dingsheng, the designer of Cao Yang New Village, wrote an article in 2009 at the age of 96, recalling the considerations in the planning of that year. "At that time, the research and attempts of European and American academic circles and design circles on garden cities and the budding of the new urbanism movement have begun to flourish. The attention paid to greening, ecology, walking orientation, asymmetric free layout and so on in these new trends of thought attracted me very much. At the same time, the memories of growing up in Shanghai's old-fashioned alleys, wind chimes, laughter and tree shadows, are deeply engraved in my mind. How can we combine the two organically? I have been trying to organically integrate these two completely different cultural genes that I have come into contact with in design practice ... "
"Face" Molds "Lizi"
Tang Jinbo, 67, said that Cao Yang's "treatment" had a "great influence" on the development of his outlook on life and open-minded personality.
When he was five years old, he was the first resident of Cao Yang New Village. Previously, his family of four were crowded in a 10 square meter pavilion by the Suzhou River, separated from their neighbors by wooden boards. Not only can you hear the quarrel, but there are gaps between the boards, and you have to sew them up with newspapers. 1952, Tang Jinbo's father, who was the chief of the supply department in Huatong, Kai Guanchang, had a new house, and the family happily moved into Room 4, No.33, No.1 Village, Cao Yang. The rooms facing south and north are 16 square meters and 8 square meters respectively. There is no need to empty the toilet, but tap water is used. The family bubbled with joy.
I still remember when his relatives living in Hongkou came to visit and refused to leave. I still remember that in those years, it was necessary for foreign friends to "be Shanghainese for a day" to go to the Shanghai Acrobatic Arena to watch performances and visit Cao Yang New Village. Tang Jinbo, with a long nose and blue eyes, was commonplace when he was young. "Foreigners come to my house almost every week. When the autumn wind blows, everyone spontaneously buys hairy crabs to entertain ... "
Cao Yang New Village also made Zhu Xiaoming want to stop after years of exploration. She found that all the neighbors of Cao Yang New Village who bought new fabrics would be displayed on spacious stairs or other public spaces, with many old photos as evidence. Yu Chuangshuo and Wang Gang, photographers of Liberation Daily, also left many exclusive and precious shots in the year of 1952: In June, Kong Aju, a female worker of Qin Sheng cotton mill, stood by the bridge and stared at her husband; In July, Kong Aju and his wife, also in Red Bridge, went to the movies by bike during the holiday. There is also a photo taken in July, in which employees of Shanghai No.2 Textile Machinery Factory are playing chess on the lawn at sunset. ...
Zhu Xiaoming firmly believes that the planning and design of Cao Yang New Village "embodies the extraordinary respect for people's spiritual space and can shape people". In her view, this new home that gives the working class a sense of dignity reveals a strong subconscious. Look at the buildings in Shanghai. There is a lilac garden specially built for Li Hongzhang, as well as a French building-Wukang Building specially built for foreign firms, foreign senior staff and upper-class expatriates. Workers who used to be at the bottom of society can only live in cramped old Shikumen, or suffer in "rolling earthworms". When 1952, they were delighted to find a new village that marked their identity, which became a benchmark for them to rebuild their class beliefs.
Tang Jinbo and his neighbors gained a strong sense of honor from their new home. The first batch of 1 14 residents in Cao Yang New Village are mostly model workers and advanced workers in the factory. At that time, the slogan "One person lives in the new village, the whole factory is glorious" has strong spiritual suggestion and encouragement, which has accompanied and influenced several generations of Cao Yang people, making them not only have "face" but also change "lining".
Liu Youwei, the 78-year-old former director of the Civilization Office of Putuo District, was deeply touched. The spiritual civilization construction of Cao Yang New Village has been in the forefront of the whole city and even the whole country for many years. He remembered that Cao Yang Five Villages and Seven Committees was the first civilized community in Shanghai. At that time, the Seventh Committee of Five Villages was the staff dormitory of the foreign trade and economic cooperation system, and once cans were thrown all over the windows. Someone wrote to the city to reflect, and then the Fifth Committee of the Seventh Committee of the Five Villages mobilized foreign trade workers to collectively clean up and rectify the greening and make the discarded things into exhibitions. So vigorous, really created a civilized community! During 18' s tenure as the director of the District Civilization Office, Cao Yang New Village has always been the highlight of Liu Youwei's work. He said: "The residents of Cao Yang New Village are full of energy, can start a business, can create and can make it!"
Shen Shudong, former deputy researcher of Cao Yang Sub-district Office, couldn't help but give a thumbs-up for Cao Yang's spirit of "gratitude, dedication and participation". He told reporters that in the 1990 Cao Yang commercial building fire, the street mobilized residents to buy "over-fired" products with damaged appearance but without affecting their use. "It was the residents of a village in Cao Yang who bought the first refrigerator. There are many pupils in Xincun who donate money with piggy banks. The touching scene is vivid ... 1992 Cao Yang Xincun Street was also named and commended as one of the' Ten Red Flags' in Shanghai! "
Ma Changhe, the current curator of Cao Yang Village History Museum, said emotionally that his mother and teachers are proud that their son or student is Cao Yang. "So far, I have worked in Cao Yang for 36 years and feel that life has not been wasted ..."
In this sense, Cao Yang New Village is like a "container", which is not only full of new welfare in the new era, but also bears the urban spirit of the new Shanghai.
Livability has new hope.
The children who lived in Cao Yang New Village in those days are now gray at their temples, and the buildings that once surprised them and made them proud are showing some old age. Walk into a residential building in a village in Cao Yang at will. The wooden stairs between the first floor and the second floor creaked, and all kinds of wires in public space spread around like cobwebs. The once shared sanitary facilities have been transformed in the past two years, basically realizing the independence of each household, but only leaving a toilet space ... A village in Cao Yang, once envied by outsiders, has brought inconvenience to residents' lives due to aging buildings, different specifications and high population density.
Because of its unique planning and architectural value, Cao Yang New Village has become "the fourth batch of outstanding historical protection buildings in Shanghai". According to the regulations, "excellent historical buildings" cannot be demolished and changed at will. In a village in Cao Yang, the height of the residential area cannot be increased and the architectural appearance cannot be changed, which also brings challenges to the community renewal.
Tang Jinbo said that except for foreign tenants, most of the people who live in Cao Yang New Village are "old, weak and sick": "I am very nostalgic for this old community and old environment, and my economic conditions are limited. I can't move to a community with better hardware conditions." Therefore, many residents hope that Cao Yang New Village can change, so that the original design of livable communities can keep pace with the times.
Can the forward-looking planning more than 60 years ago, a well-known historical scenic spot at home and abroad, be changed? According to Xie Jianjun, an associate professor in the Department of Architecture, Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University, the answer is yes.
He said that although the planning and design 60 years ago was advanced, after all, it could not take into account the new things that appeared in the economic and social development in the early years, just like the Internet is unimpeded now, but the original design did not leave room for optical fiber; Also, at the beginning, the green space between houses can meet the leisure needs of residents, but with the increase of the elderly population in the community, it is necessary to provide them with new facilities for the elderly.
Professor Wang Weiqiang of Tongji University and his research team conducted a wide range of social surveys in Cao Yang New Village, collecting all kinds of basic data and needs of residents, providing technical support for the government's community renewal work, making the planning update and adjustment closer to the wishes of residents, and more conducive to maintaining the planning concept and historical features of Cao Yang New Village.
Xie Jianjun believes that the reconstruction of Cao Yang New Village is mainly a medical operation, not a surgical operation, and the adjustment should not be drastic, but gradual. He put forward a concept of "urban acupuncture". "Old buildings can be preserved, and the classic facades of houses can be preserved, but the spatial layout and functional design should listen to the opinions of ordinary people and sociologists and carry out targeted re-planning and transformation."
In fact, for the future of Cao Yang New Village, Xie Jianjun has an idea: "Can you start from a village in Cao Yang and change it into a typical community pension?" He said that the elderly population is a major feature of Cao Yang New Village, but the aging of hardware facilities also affects the quality of life of residents. If the population density can be reduced through economic leverage, it will provide a basis for the transformation of architectural functions: "For example, the original two rooms can be opened into one room to make up for the functions that were not available before." On the other hand, relying on the original medical and greening resources of the community, it laid the foundation for the transformation into a characteristic pension apartment.
Pan Xushan, director of Cao Yang Xincun Sub-district Office, also told the reporter: "Although the historical protection area has restrictions on the renovation of hardware facilities, the street has never forgotten the livable concept put forward in the design of Cao Yang Xincun, and has been striving to improve it: congenital deficiency makes up for it, the house is insufficient for the environment, and the hardware is insufficient for software." He said that the joint user renovation project of Cao Yang New Village will continue to solve the problems of coal burning and sanitation as much as possible; At the same time, according to the increasing trend of the elderly population in the community, facilities suitable for the elderly, such as barrier-free access, stair handrails and rest seats, will be accelerated. In terms of environmental construction, the streets are also "overweight", such as extending the fitness trails around the bars, co-building with surrounding educational and medical institutions, and expanding community services. In addition, public activities and services such as "A Dream in the Sunset" and "Family Discussion" are also emerging one after another, hoping to continue the spirit of Cao Yang. He said that looking forward to the future, Cao Yang New Village will definitely change, but we must find a balance between inheritance and development, protection and development, which will not only continue the planning concept more than 60 years ago, but also give hope and hope to the current residents. Cao Yang will have a better tomorrow.