Chao Zhou Job Creation Project | AFR ThinkingUrban

Place-Making is a new type of Urban Planning. The physical infrastructure has to be in place of course, but the vitality of the urban economics and the creation of value are also components which really make a "place to live". Job building is part of the process.

This live project is a dynamic example of Place-Making. The city of Chao Zhou has been a centre of craftmanship in southern China through several dynasties of emperors. Many jobs in the city still depend on the crafts industry. However the products of the craft workshops have little appeal to the new China or to the global markets of the 21st century. As demand drops away, the workshops loose customers and the traditional skills disappear.

This project aims to redefine the crafts profession with innovative new designs and to establish a thriving base for the up and coming generations. Time is running out for the aging generation of crafts people, and to stimulate a new thriving environment for the future of the skills and professions of the crafts, new input is being put in place.

AFR is at the forefront of this truly urban planning project. We inject new designs and promote the commercial viability necessary for the city to maintain the values of its skills. The first steps are already collecting acclaim and recognition. The Beyond Art exhibition premiered the artistic skills of Chao Zhou at the Pallazzo delle Stelline in Milano in November 2014. Much to the delight of the most discerning of the Italian art world.