Digital Ruralism - Turenscape Academy 2017
In the age of cities, the world continues unrelentingly towards urbanization. Massive migration to established cities in China, acting as hyper-dense attractors, has led to the hinterland and natural resources to be increasingly overtaken. Currently, rural territories are depicted through nearly vacated villages, sparse industry, ineffective agricultural production and older generations without the capacity to relocate. What if the future would depend on the rural context and not the current models of growth dictated by rapid urbanization processes? Rural landscapes can potentially seed potential new models of growth encouraging symbiotic relationships with nature. The main aim of this intensive design workshop is the learning of analytical tools applied to grasping geographic, environmental and social potentials of rural contexts, to explore how villages can expand through models of adaptation. This research will be led through a design methodology based on GIS analysis, generative approaches and data-driven experimentation. The site of TA’s academy, Xixinan village in Anhui Province, will serve as the context for design proposals.

Digital Ruralism ISSUU