For a leisurely breakfast I took them to a flat rock Changsha Vacations which formed part of a causeway from the marketplace across the marshes towards another village, and Changsha Vacations I sat watching the gentle flow of people arriving for market. Most were on foot, carrying large back-baskets or bundles on bamboo yokes. Some of the fishing baskets were larger than the people carrying them. They made interesting filigree silhouettes against the blue sky. A woman holding dozens of woven straw sandals stopped to stare at me. Whole dead pigs were being pushed along in handcarts.
UNCTAD (Santos 2008) produced an interlocking diagram in which a nexus of requirements nurtures creativity (see Figure 5). The architectural output must become an incubator for such manifestations of creativity; it does not in itself deliver them.
The ability of a city to regenerate and demonstrate kaizen (a Japanese term meaning change for the better) is critical to achieving and maintaining competitive and creative edge. Successful cities are dynamic, adaptive and responsive to change. Such a dynamic is catalysed by distinctive design in terms of architecture and events, along with amenities,
The capitals that are required to encourage creativity as outputs and outcomes. Image: UNCTAD 2008 transport and services. Historically, the imprint of a city has been great civic buildings and works. The modern city is no different. However, the nature of the works now extends beyond the traditional – such as parks, fountains or plazas – into, for example, architecture as event tourism, pervasive digital media, industry-governmental joint cultural ventures and even mobile computing infrastructure.
In Singapore, a plan for a creative economy called Renaissance City 2.0 (CIDS 2003) for 2003-12 dealt with a transition from post-industrialization that has happened at breakneck speed within the city state. The plan maps out a trajectory that will take the city from a manufacturing hub to a creative economy within 40 years. In a globally-competitive market, other cities would do well to take note.
