Ninth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

In China, eco-city proposals are attractive objects. Imagery associated with these proposals often appear in the local and foreign press aiming at sparkling the interest from investors and admiration from party comrades. Understanding the roles and unusual functions of the design information produced for eco-cities, particularly the images, is a lacuna in Chinese urban studies. In his editorial “China’s eco-cities,” Fulong Wu (2012) highlights the significant role of designers in the development of eco-city projects in China, stressing their capacity to create attractive visualisations that he labels “eco-renderings.” These, however, seem to have their value in their ability to “bring much publicity and stimulate the market in other places” (Wu, 2012, p. 170). While this process is not new for commercial development, the design of eco-cities seems to play a role which goes beyond the simple creation of habitable spaces, and rather focuses on the creation of an image that is attractive for state and market actors. In this context, this paper will focus on understanding the process of presenting the information for design projects. In China the planning process sometimes involves replicating the information produced by the designers; sometimes it involves developing the original concepts into more detailed proposals; and, in other cases, the redesign of the whole project. By mapping the process of the development of planning documents in Chinese eco-cities, this paper will attempt to identify the critical points in which foreign designs are politicised so that they are acceptable to local officials/politicians.