Urbanizzazione Emancipatoria. Sull’interdipendenza e l’indipendenza dei territori montani in relazione ai cluster di megacittà: Un approccio transetto.

Mountain settlements are often overlooked in regional development plans. The overdevelopment of the South-Eastern coastal cities has exacerbated the uneven rural – to- urban development, unbalanced economic growth, and environmental degradation in China. This development pattern has caused acute social disparities between first-tier cities in the Pearl River Delta and its dependent mountain territories in Guangdong Province. The rediscovery of mountain territories as a productive resource is explored for a new phase of urbanization in China. Emerging, livable settlements resilient to climate change, the scarcity of resources, and widening social inequalities may not be found in densely populated urban areas. The underestimated potential of mountains with dispersed settlement structures is examined as an alternative people-oriented urbanity. The emancipation of mountain communities from systems of resource exploitation by global mega-city networks is a key objective for scenario-based studies. Independence Scenarios with alternative livelihood strategies for ‘rurban’ communities are constructed with an interest in defining an Alternative Urbanity. Mei County, the mountainous north-eastern part of the Upstream Dongjiang River Basin bordering Jiangxi and Fujian Province, is the backbone territory supplying water, labor and agricultural produce to the Pearl River Delta mega-city. The local people in the region studied are of Hakka Ethnic origin, traditionally also known for both hospitality and an independent - minded mentality. Along a transect in Mei County capturing the Fengshuba Reservoir, the northern periphery of Xingning, and the urban fringe area of Meizhou, the livelihoods of five local characters are reconstructed with diversified day-to-day activities. With an interest in grass-roots level interventions, local characters adopt livelihood scenarios aligned with the National New Type Urbanization Plan objectives for 2050 and beyond. The scenario constructions represent a repertoire of alternative ‘rurban’ activities, to catalyze new synergies and to define an equitable path to urbanization. A transect design approach to the analysis and transformation of neglected mountain valleys is applied. Acupunctural interventions in transects propose a synthesis of individual livelihoods reinforced by the support of Welfare & Environmental Infrastructures. The scenarios studied indicate potential trajectories aiming at sustainable development. This design-based study takes a critical distance from the pervasive idea that Chinese E-commerce giants can resolve poverty and environmental degradation in mountain territories.