Waste urbanism: a questioning imaginary of urban metamorphosis

Abstract

Baotou owes its existence to its raw material resource, and iron and rare earth industry. Because of cheap labor, low cost and lax vat the world rare earth political economy with more than 95% of production. Increasing demand of rare earth due to our modern culture and consumption has turned the 12km2 tailing pond as a 'toxic leftover of global capitalism'.

My thesis is asking questions of how a city at the edge will survive in the future. In this case, it is an extreme scenario of resource depletion, environmental destruction, and large number of unemployment caused by modern consumerism.

The thesis is a questioning imaginary of a waste urbanism, that intentionally propose a major transformation of urban metamorphosis by rethinking the economic and ecological value of industrial waste, especially with its complicated connection to globval network. By understanding the operational mechanisms of the city globally, the operational mechanisms of the city globally, nationally and locally, I intervene into the flows of material, migration, economy and politics at regional and local scale.

This thesis is asking a question and exploring the alternative future of a resource-extract industry city like Baotou. Connect how a global modern culture reflects on a local landscape. And explore the extreme potential of economy as driving force of urbanization.