After nearly 2 years of polishing and precipitation, recently, Antao's new book "From Land to Destination" will be published, which is another masterpiece after "Happy Landscape" and "Landscape Connection".
This book shares that the development of "destinations" follows a kind of thinking that breaks the traditional development, not only according to the financial benefits and balance, and the construction cycle, but also needs to think about how to grow into a place where you live, work, play, shop, learn and connect with each other according to the law of growth in the whole life cycle.
What is the destination?
What is the destination for you? Is it a campground away from the city? "Poetry and Distance" without class flavor? Or is it a place for parent-child study? Or an art space for exhibitions and performances? Or is it an ancient town with cultural accumulation?
A place to call a destination requires the creation of a unique concept designed to inspire pleasure. It offers abundant opportunities to live, work, and a variety of recreational and learning environments, making it a desirable destination for cities, villages, scenic spots, workplaces, shopping spaces and communities.
From Hangzhou Liangzhu Cultural Village, Qinhuangdao Aranya Community, and Hoshinoya Resort in Japan to Battersea Power Station on the south bank of the River Thames in London, and Hudison Yards in Manhattan, New York, they are all examples of "destination" creation in the new era. These "destinations" not only provide rich life, entertainment, shopping and work content, but also meet people's spiritual needs and emotional responses to the current era, from health healing, cultural resonance, aesthetic nourishment and local connection.
Bars, cafes, restaurants, bookstores, libraries, galleries and even museums offer diverse and intimate places where people can enjoy each other's company and real life. The feeling they exude makes the here and now an attractive "destination" and a great content for residents, tourists, and makers to post on their social media.
Destination thinking
Starting from the destination archetype, "destination" cannot be simply categorized according to the conventional place typology, but it can evolve based on certain archetypal foundations. We need to think about the "destination" scenario, from entertainment, shopping, learning, work, living, to connecting to the brand.
To make a place a "destination", we need to develop a growth map for it. This is like a sequential evolution in nature, where over time, the formerly barren land evolves into flowery gardens, ultimately providing habitat for abundant life.
The formation of a "destination" first needs to produce an ambitious and simple vision. The so-called manifesto is not a mandatory statement of what you are going to do, but rather a vision that comes from the heart, through your values, culture and position, to show your commitment, and to show what you really believe in. Make it a guiding principle, a way of thinking and a code of conduct through a declaration.
From land to destination
"Destination" is like an organism, constantly changing with the needs of civilization, economy, and society, some of which are growing, while others are depressed. A perfect community includes mature landscapes, a vibrant cultural scene, thriving bars and coffee bars, and they need to go through different stages of growth.
From new neighbors to familiar neighborhoods, from unfamiliar spaces to intimate places, from barren content to small theaters of life, just like a garden, from green to flourishing, this requires not only a long-term vision, but also phased goals to guide the growth and iteration of each stage.
Like a sequential evolution in nature – successive ecological stages, over time, dense forests evolve from otherwise barren land, eventually providing habitat for abundant life.