Pictures of the Future Fall 2006
Sustainable City Development – Interview
An Architecture for Resource Conservation
Interview with Albert Speer
Prof. Albert Speer, 72, is one of the world’s most famous architects and urban planners. Projects he has worked on with partners in his Frankfurt office include a development plan for Doha in the Persian Gulf and a transport concept for Nigeria. Since the 1990s, Speer has been awarded several key contracts, including one for designing Shanghai’s Auto City. He was also recently awarded the planning contract for an automotive center in Changchun that encompasses factories and housing for 300,000 people.
Are you satisfied with the design opportunities your profession offers you?
Speer: Yes. Urban development is a very exciting interdisciplinary field that involves environmental protection, technology, quality of life, ecology, resource conservation and mobility. We are consultants, however, not decision-makers. Planning only amounts to five percent of the scope of decision-making…
That’s very modest...
Speer: Our influence is small—but this doesn’t mean I’m not proud when something works out well, like the Allianz Arena in Munich. We served as consultants on that project and convinced the city and the soccer clubs that the location for the new stadium was the right one.
Urbanization is a major global trend. What will the city of the future look like?
Speer: You have to clearly differentiate between European-type cities and cities in the Third World. European cities are an enormous achievement, characterized by multi-utility, effective mass transit systems and cultural diversity. In Europe, we need to use political instruments, such as tax policy , to stop cities from expanding into their surroundings.
And in other places?
Speer: Here you’re talking about places like China or Saudi Arabia where the urbanization trend is just starting. The population of Riad, for example, will increase from 1.5 million to more than ten million over the next 15 years—and that’s in the middle of the desert. People all over the world are pouring into cities because that’s where they can find work, get a better education, and experience a better quality of life. Everyone knows about Shanghai, but other cities are growing just as fast. Examples include Chongqing and Changchun, which is set to become the Detroit of China with an automotive center covering 120 km². We were recently awarded the planning contract for the future city center.
How is life in cities changing?
Speer: There’s more "living" in European cities, where populations are aging and the quality of life must improve further. Not much will change in terms of structures, however. In China and other countries, entire cities are being rebuilt, which is why ecological considerations must have priority from the outset. That means conserving water and energy, and protecting the environment. We suggested such an approach for Changchun, and we probably beat out the competition because we combined the factories with a residential district for 300,000 people and a central area that will include a university, exhibition centers and parks.
So sustainable urban development is more than just a catch phrase?
Speer: Well, it’s a fashionable term that’s hard to apply to Third World urban development, which is being conducted on a vast scale—and consuming huge resources. An example of sustainable development is building a residential area on a deserted industrial site, while conserving resources. In a study we did for a high-tech industrial park in Shanghai, we networked the complete infrastructure—from water supply and treatment to waste disposal, traffic reduction and alternative energies such as biogas. This creates cycles that consume fewer resources and produce less pollution and waste. That’s sustainability: It’s something that’s technologically possible but not yet achieved.
Why is that?
Speer: Because the issue is very complex. For example, energy conservation includes transport systems, buildings, equipment, appliances and even human behavior. That’s a lot of ground to cover—especially because each sector attempts to optimize its own operations.
Can you give us an example of urban development that works?
Speer: Yes, the Diplomatic City in Riad, which was built back in the mid-1980s. It includes a diplomatic quarter, upscale residential areas and schools. There’s also an emphasis on landscaping quality and climatic comfort. Our Auto City in Shanghai, which has accommodations for 50,000 people, is also a good example. It might be small by Chinese standards, but it boasts the first houses in China to be insulated according to European standards. The central heating and air conditioning can be individually regulated for each room. That alone cut energy costs in half. Such conservation hasn’t been important in China historically—but it’s becoming so. The first 2,000 apartments have already been completed.
How sustainable can development be in cities like Mumbai, Mexico City or Jakarta?
Speer: It can only work in limited areas. Cities throughout the Third World will continue in grow. However, technology can make the infrastructure for things like public transport and traffic more efficient. You can also organize cities so that people can get around on foot or by bicycle. It’s important to have green areas that cool down more quickly than building complexes. They provide cities with fresh air. Our plans will enable the 3.5 million people in Changchun to benefit from these features.
Is implementation easier in a country with government regulation, like China?
Speer: I wouldn’t say that applies to China alone. People familiar with China know that political decisions are not simply dictated from above. The individual regions and municipalities also have a lot to say on many matters.
How are projects financed? A lot of cities have budget problems.
Speer: Cities like Shanghai are quite rich, even by Western standards. All the real estate belongs to the state, which makes a lot of money through hereditary leasing agreements. The government thus finances a large portion of a project via development companies in which, for instance, the auto industry has invested. However, money is a big problem in poor developing countries. For example, we’re now involved in a project in Abuja, but funding is coming from the Nigerian government, which isn’t exactly poor, thanks to oil revenues. We do consulting work in other places as well, but we don’t renovate slum areas. That’s something for international organizations like the World Bank.
Do you view the future with optimism or pessimism?
Speer: I’m optimistic about China, where investment is high. But I’m pessimistic about countries where no money is being invested.
What’s your favorite project?
Speer: It’s always the next one—in this case the automotive center for Changchun.
Interview: N. Aschenbrenner