Beijing's old hutong alleyways offer vision of a better future society for Dutch architect in Shanghai
Shanghai-based Marta Pozo says urban planners can learn from capital's archaic alleyways, which encourage interaction and strengthen community spirit
The beauty of old Beijing hutongs (or laneways) is not only in their peculiar architecture, which has defined the capital since ancient times, but also in what they have done for society, says Marta Pozo, a Dutch architect stationed in Shanghai.
Pozo moved from Rotterdam to take up the reins as director of MVRDV Asia in 2014, two years after the Dutch-based architecture firm opened a China office as a base for its growing portfolio of local projects.
And while the company's work runs the gamut from large-scale master planning to commercial, mixed-use, cultural, residential and interior-design commissions, it is the intimate way the Chinese have traditionally lived that truly sparks Pozo's imagination.
This led MVRDV to create two exhibitions related to a new model of redevelopment for traditional hutongs: the Next Hutong for the Xianyukou hutong and the Collective Hutong for Dashilar hutong, both key heritage zones in Beijing listed for protection by the central government.
These gentrified alleys have become a cultural symbol of old Beijing, updated with new public infrastructure facilities, and MVRDV's aim with the exhibitions is to carry that vision forward for future generations.