In early 2017, fellow Vancouverites Fang Liu, Kevin Pan and I (Nicholas Waissbluth) were invited to participate in the inaugural Under-40 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Architecture Conference and Workshop in Shenzhen, China. Hosted by the Architectural Society of China, the event brought together 40 young architects and facilitators representing China, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, and Canada.
Over five days, the group toured, explored, questioned and offered innovative new ideas for one of the world?s fastest growing cities. As attendees, we left with many takeaways?none more important than reaffirming the need of integrating cultural diversity, knowledge exchange and new technologies into the architectural process. In Canada, we understand development and growth on one scale, but a visit to Shenzhen quickly showcases how such cities require different strategies. Shenzhen’s population has grown 4% annually since the early the 2000s, while in the 1990s the growth rate was almost 19%. For reference, 4% would be the equivalent of an additional 100,000 citizens coming to metro Vancouver every year. Our current rate is just over 30,000.
As an architect in Vancouver, I hear a lot about how global cities reference our urban planning strategies?yet this event made it increasingly evident that the younger generation of Canadian architects, urban planners and designers can learn a great deal from Asia. This is especially true as as our new urba...