Free Cell Urbanism

Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is a rapidly expanding Asian city. It has a strong history of colonising powers exerting significant influence over its built form and has developed multilayered architectural and urban references from several diverse origins including France, the Soviet Union and China. However, some of the forms and spatial systems which exist are uniquely Vietnamese. The Hanoi government has serious concerns about the development of the city, particularly the incorporation of High-Density Development. Development has been associated with a process of domination and eradication. There is an identifiable need for urban strategies that deal with the rapid expansion of Asian cities like Hanoi, and that recognize the specific nature of those places. In Hanoi, the agents of redevelopment are investors and developers, both local and foreign, with the active backing of the socialist state. Their weapon of choice, or the main realisation of international capital, is the generic city and its high-rise. This project proposes an alternative urban strategy.