The Jiezhuan Lane Laboratory is a temporary urban lab established in February 2019 at Enning Road 恩宁路 in Guangzhou, China, responding to the upcoming redevelopment of the area. The lab aims to bring together the fractured community, to connect urban resources and share knowledge on-site. We intend to expand the meaning of “inhabitant” by including the old and new residents, the locals and the visitors of the city. By this means we want to raise attention of how to improve quality of life in the future.

The urban regeneration process of Enning Road was set in motion already back in 2006. In 2018, during the first stage of the renewal process of the Yong-Qing Fan 永庆坊 area (a part of the Enning Road neighbourhood), the actors involved – ranging from investors, multi-governmental sectors and home-grown settlements – were brought together in a participatory planning process. However, a few deadlocks remained and some hidden conflicts still need to be solved. Moreover, the community is still vulnerable, fractured and full of mistrust and fear of alienation – especially among the last 10% of remaining settlers and renters. In this framework, the Jiezhuan Lane Laboratory plays a role of intervening and mediating: to reintegrate the neighbours in the process of renewal, connect urban resources and share knowledge on-site. We also intend to expand the meaning of “inhabitant” by including both old and new residents, the locals as well as the visitors of the city. In this way, we want to raise attention of how to enhance future life in the area. For this purpose, we created a broad network, which includes various experts, ranging from waste management and gardening to the formal Enning Road activism group, etc. Based on our field research, we curated a range of hands-on workshops for placemaking focusing on collected thoughts and visions. To build trust and offer a gesture for the neighbours we engaged in activities such as collecting trash, cleaning up and planting seeds. After a month and a half of intensive work on-site, we announced a community convention, applied methods of waste management and planted some adorable sprouting seeds with our neighbours and are now waiting for the moment of autonomy of the project and our fading away. 

In Collaboration with O-office Architects//Type: Urban Regeneration, Socially Engaged Art, Social Design// Location: Enning Rd., Guangzhou, CN // Duration:  Feb. - May. 2019