How the ancient Forbidden City reflects present-day urban life

Author: John Frank

Objective of the activity

The activity aims to engage students in how the built environment reflects social structures and everyday urban realities. The learning outcome is for students to see how the design of cities excludes certain groups.

Pre-class activities

Before class, students are assigned to read a chapter, “Examining Urban Issues.” Within that reading, a section discusses how the downtown area of LA is designed to prohibit certain groups and classes from interacting, how shopping malls are built with indoor garages so shoppers never have to leave the heavily protected space and enter the public realm.

In-class activities

The in-class activities discuss the chapter’s various themes, but for the section on how the built environment is a reflection of its social structure, I discuss the Forbidden City in ancient Beijing. I present several pictures (one an aerial view) and explain how commoners were excluded, and only those who could enter were the elite, the emperor’s advisors, etc. After this, I return to the textbook that speaks to downtown LA and how the city is divided by income, race, and ethnicity. I then ask students to think of how their neighborhoods are specially divided or if they notice how cities are divided by race and class.

After Class Activities

This lesson plan on the Forbidden City was introduced early in the semester. It works as a stepping stone to the later class on Urban Political Economy, where China is reintroduced. (The lesson plan on Urban Political Economy can be found in this depository.) I also refer to the Forbidden City when talking about “Fortified City,” a concept in Urban Sociology that describes how cities are now becoming heavily policed and built to reflect something of a fortress with gates, CCTVs, and barriers to prohibit entry of marginalized groups. We also see facets of the Forbidden City in present-day Gated Communities in suburbia. In short, today’s urban landscape is increasingly becoming more like the ancient Forbidden City.

Resources

5LC6tLYtsbHI-Cities-Change-and-Conflict-ch.-1-edited.pdf, TjserrQdkn5h-forbiddencity-googleearth.webp