VITTORIO GREGOTTI: URBAN DESIGN BETWEEN CHINA AND ITALY: The case of Pujiang (Shanghai) and Bicocca (Milan)

Rationale for the Exhibition:
At the start of the 21st century, the Chinese government announced an ambitious urbanization plan, proposing the construction of 20 new cities annually for the next 20 years.
From 2000 to 2020, approximately 400 “new cities” were designed and built (Fang and Yu, 2016; Shepard, 2015). The goal was to create a system of new towns that would serve as multifunctional “planned support” for the market. This approach aimed to spatially reconfigure urban systems on a vast scale through regional hubs.
The intent was to transform the relationship between central cities and their peripheries: no longer dispersed industrial satellite cities surrounded by rural areas, but integrated suburban new towns within a unified, globalized city-region (Wu, 2016: 1139).
In this context, we observe what He and Qian (2017) describe as a “new relationship between the exceptional and the ordinary” and the need to adopt a “revised cosmopolitan approach.”
An Emblematic Case: “One City, Nine Towns”
In 2001, at the onset of this phase defined as “cosmopolitan between the ordinary and extraordinary,” the Shanghai government launched the One City, Nine Towns project. This ambitious plan envisioned nine new towns, each themed around a national culture: Chinese, English, Scandinavian, Spanish, Canadian, Dutch, German, and Italian.
From a Western perspective, the project might appear inspired by a certain “exoticism.” However, in China, it was regarded as a pioneering example of cultural inclusivity and fusion between East and West.
The “Italian City” of Pujiang
Among these, the “New Town of Pujiang” for 100,000 residents, located south of Shanghai along the Huangpu River, was entrusted to architect Vittorio Gregotti. The city became a significant example of the “Italian urban project” on Chinese soil, considered the most successful of the nine. Though its residential components were completed, the town saw only partial realization of public and service areas. Notably, the central EAST-WEST spine, designed by Gregotti as the qualitative hub and strategic axis of the city, was only minimally constructed.
Parallel with the Bicocca Project
During the same period, Gregotti’s firm was engaged in Italy with the development of the Bicocca Project, initiated after winning an international competition in 1988. This intervention, combining renovations and new constructions, included numerous buildings designed by Gregotti, with the exception of the Deutsche Bank headquarters, realized by Gino Valle between 1997 and 2005.
A Contemporary Reflection
Over 20 years after these two experiences, the economic landscape and international development prospects have profoundly shifted, necessitating a rethinking of design strategies. Today, the challenge unfolds against evolving economic conditions and the balance between modernization and respect for tradition.
The Exhibition: Vittorio Gregotti Between China and Italy
In light of this context, the exhibition focuses on Vittorio Gregotti’s work, analyzing two of his major urban projects: Pujiang and Bicocca. The comparative approach aims to illuminate the Italian master’s design methodology, offering analytical and theoretical tools to understand the complex cultural dynamics between China and Italy.Among the exhibition’s objectives is an investigation of the theoretical models and morphologies that inspired Gregotti, as well as a comparison of Eastern and Western canons, analyzing their continuities, contradictions, and am biguities. The central theme is the balance between modernization impulses and the valorization of tradition, as well as between local and global values. This challenge, as timely as it is crucial, represents a fundamental question for those engaged in architectural and urban design today.
Scientific Curators:
Prof. Roberto Podda (XJTLU – Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China)
Prof. Alessandro Cece (XJTLU – Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China),
Prof. Andrea Iacomoni (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy),