One professor in Shanghai is helping to transform the country’s disused spaces into flourishing green oases, and with them a sense of community
At first glance, the cracked and faded concrete wall surrounding a restaurant in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi seems an unlikely place to find a bustling hub of creativity. And yet it’s here that children, chefs, retirees, and college students have gathered to sketch flowers and roosters, and plant peppers, tomatoes, and figs. This “oasis project” is the brainchild of Liu Yuelai, a professor at Tongji University’s College of Architecture and Urban Planning in Shanghai. “This ‘canvas’ has become a gathering area for about 30 Uyghur locals,” Liu explains, adding that the transformation has increased interactions between nearby residents as well as boosted the neighboring restaurant’s monthly revenue from 120,000 yuan to 180,000 yuan.
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