All eyes should be on China in the race to develop smart cities, says architect Carlo Ratti, who is co-curating this year's Bi-City Biennale of UrbanismArchitecture in Shenzhen.
China offers unique perspectives on how technology can be used to improve public space, according to Ratti, and international architects and urban planners can learn a lot.
"Probably the most important conversation that should happen today is about Asian cities, and especially Chinese cities," he told Dezeen. "According to some estimates, in the 21st century, China might build more urban fabric than humanity has ever built before."
"If you think about Shenzhen, where the biennale is, it's a city that barely existed 35 years ago," Ratti continued. "Now it's one of the world's most vibrant metropolises." "Huge amount" to learn from China
It was this that attracted Ratti to join the curatorial team for the 2019 Bi-City Biennale of UrbanismArchitecture (UABB), held concurrently in Shenzhen and neighbouring Hong Kong. The architect plans for this year's edition, kicking off in Shenzhen in December 2019, to focus on the intersection between urbanisation and technology.
"China is certainly one of the best places for experimenting with a lot of these topics," said Ratti, adding that there is a "huge amount" to learn from the country.
His comments echo those of Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs, who said that China is about to leapfro...