Hutong Bubble 32

The Future Of The Hutongs

The Hutongs are historic poor neighbourhoods of central Beijing. Though the Hutongs delight tourists, life for the residents is hard: they have limited private space, and no indoor shower or toilet. At the same time as these residents are being re-housed on the outskirts of the city by the government, their historic homes are being occupied by the rich, whilst property developers tear down the old buildings and recreate them in ersatz form.

Rather than allow the Hutongs to become historical theme parks, we propose a more forward looking solution. We will insert super modern interventions into the fabric of the Hutongs, either to provide new private facilities (showers, toilets, playrooms) for the current residents; or to create new spaces for the wealthy to live next door. Our proposal will mix current and future lifestyles into the historic fabric. 2050 Hutongs will value the lives of the people who live in the buildings, rather than just the buildings themselves.

Text and images: MAD