CountlessChinesevillageshavebeenengulfedbymoderncities.Gonearethepicturesquefarmsandfengshuigroves;intheirplacestandhigh-risesbuiltsoclosetogetherthattheyareknownas“kissingbuildings“or“handshakehouses,“whereoccupantscanreachoutandshakehandswiththeirneighbors.Thetowerscreatedark,claustrophobicalleystoppedwithstripsofdaylight(knownas“thinlineskies“)andjammedwithdrippingair-conditioners,hangingclothes,cagedbalconiesandbundlesofbuzzingelectricwires.
Althoughitiseasytoseethesevillagesasslums,acloserlookrevealsthattheyprovideanimportant,affordable,andwell-locatedentrypointformigrantsintothecity.Theyalsoofferavitalmixed-use,spatiallydiverseandpedestrianalternativetotheprevailingcar-orientedmodernist-planningparadigminChina.Yet,mostofthesevillagesareonthebrinkofdestruction,affectingthelivesofmillionsofpeopleandthreateningtheeradicationofauniqueurbanfabric.
VillagesintheCityarguesforthevalueofurbanvillagesasplaces.Torevealtheirqualities,aseriesofdrawingsandphotographsuncoverstheimmenseconcentrationofsociallifeintheirdensestructuresandprovidesapeekintoresidents’homesanddailylives.Essaysbyanumberofexpertsgiveadeeperunderstandingofthetopicandshowhowfocusingonthevillagecanleadtoaricher,morevariegatedpathwayofurbanization.
