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In front of the window of a small shop on the street, Master Zhang is intently wiping the glass sign. I saw that the golden red background font was particularly eye-catching: "Master Zhang's Beef Ramen Restaurant". A few rough but full big characters, revealing a rustic breath of life.
At this moment, a deafening sound of glass breaking suddenly came! Master Zhang looked back in astonishment, only to see that his beloved signboard had become wisps of stains, and the ground was covered with bright glass shards. A middle-aged man in overalls walked proudly with a steel pipe and glanced at him coldly.
"Master Zhang, our community has asked you to change these old-fashioned signboards many times, and now you don't obediently replace them with new standard signboards, you have to be shameless, right?" As soon as the words fell, the man walked away, taking in Master Zhang's stunned expression. The matter was far from over, and soon it caused quite a stir in the streets...
Although the above fictional scene exaggerates the gravity of the situation, it is not unfounded. On May 10, dozens of shops in Boai County, Jiaozuo, Henan Province were poured cold water due to inconsistent signboards, and the incident once again pushed the topic of urban store recruitment standardization to the forefront. In this regard, the Beijing News published a quick commentary article entitled "If you don't unify, it's too simple and rude to smash signboards", she expressed her disapproval of violent methods and put forward some of her own opinions on the issue of shop signboard regulations.
In fact, as early as 2005, relevant national regulations have been promulgated, requiring outdoor commercial advertising signs to be "civilized, healthy, upward and environmentally friendly". However, to this day, violations are still prohibited, and violent law enforcement is even more worrying. So, what is the crux of this dilemma? Can we re-examine this seemingly simple but complex urban management problem from a new perspective?
In the face of the huge urban-rural disparities and multiculturalism, we might as well first consider an extreme situation: what would happen if the standards across the country were completely unified in the future, and all street shop signs were printed in a mold?
There is no doubt that it will be a monotonous and highly homogeneous urban landscape, which will not only lose the charm of the city, but also stifle the human and creative space. In the end, the negative impact of this violent unification may even outweigh some of the current basic normative deficiencies. The ancients wrote that "the liquor gradually clears and becomes mellow, not the first exposure to the mellow", which is also applicable to the improvement of urban quality. It is universally applicable, and an overly blunt "one-size-fits-all" approach will inevitably outweigh the losses.
What's more, for a major and complex project such as urban environmental planning, it is difficult to maintain the unification from the beginning to the end, and violent and stupid practices are tantamount to self-destruction of the Great Wall. Exploring the crux of the problem is the right way. So, why is there a dilemma that shop signs are repeatedly standardized to no avail? We can understand it from two levels: the law of urban development and the needs of human nature.
As a bottom-up, inside-out phenomenon, the disorderly development of cities is a natural manifestation of human nature. On the one hand, everyone pursues individuality and freedom, and blind control will inevitably cause a wave of unease; On the other hand, merchants also want their signboards to be eye-catching to attract more customers. Therefore, the disorderly sprawl of the urban landscape stems from people's basic pursuit of freedom and profit.
From a cyclical point of view, cities also show a certain pattern of development: new development areas generally show a loose and free state in the short term, and gradually integrate to an orderly state after a relatively long period of time. This is precisely why urban development imitates the laws of ecological evolution to a certain extent. Blindly man-made violent unification is inevitably a bit contrary to the way of nature.
We might as well look at it from a conceptual framework of big data, which is the embodiment of information complexity and entropy in the urban environment. To put it simply, over-guidance inevitably reduces entropy, suppresses the creativity of the system itself, and may eventually lead to disorder and death. On the contrary, with moderate guidance and a relaxed environment as conditions, the inner creativity of human nature can be stimulated, and the system can form a higher-order order in chaos.
For example, the recent renovation of Hangzhou's West Lake Ten Scenic Spots is a successful example of the perfect integration of humanities, tourism and commerce. Through the unified design concept and the in-depth discussion of the professional studio, the local architectural style is adopted, and the lighting project is selected to show the historical charm, which not only unifies the style but also avoids homogenization... In the end, the neighborhood is both a human and a business-friendly atmosphere, which is very exciting.
The pursuit of complete laissez-faire inevitably leads to chaos. However, the excessively high demand for unification will inevitably lose the vitality and flexibility of urban development. Therefore, a flexible and balanced path is the most preferable, and we must not rest on our laurels and unify the evil path, nor should we be arrogant and obsessed with disorderly freedom.
In management practice, a single power is easy to breed malpractices, and we might as well draw on the military management idea of "centralized and unified leadership, hierarchical decentralization and responsibility." The upper-level organization is responsible for formulating unified guiding norms and principles, whether they are lofty, vigorous, and full of national characteristics; Middle-level units can focus on their unique urban character and formulate corresponding style design and maintenance mechanisms; Specific to the bottom merchants, there should be a certain amount of creative space. Through this hierarchical management, it may be better to get out of the predicament.
In addition, a sound incentive feedback mechanism is also indispensable. We can refer to Singapore's experience and guide and motivate merchants to take the initiative to regulate their own business behavior by awarding honors or incentives, forming a virtuous circle. Compared with a ban on a piece of paper, this method of giving positive incentives is undoubtedly more humane and more acceptable to the people.
At the same time, moderation and civility in law enforcement methods are also indispensable. Taking the Jiaozuo incident as an example, if we had fully communicated and guided the situation in advance, instead of arbitrarily adopting violent measures, we would have been able to avoid the deterioration and escalation of the situation. Only by replacing violent persecution with rational persuasion and resolving contradictions with tolerance and understanding can we win the hearts and minds of the people and turn hostility into peace.
In the long run, city managers should keep up with the pace of the times and have the courage to innovate management concepts and methods. For example, we can learn from the "Singapore model" and clearly define the rights and obligations of the government, property owners and the public through legislation; Another example is to explore a new model of "digital city", with the help of new technologies such as the Internet of Things and big data to achieve refined management... In short, only by keeping pace with the times and innovating can urban governance better meet the needs of the people.
Of course, the creation of a good environment for the rule of law is also very important. Taking the practice of many developed cities as an example, they generally put forward clear and specific guiding requirements for the setting of store signs through the introduction of special local regulations, avoiding too vagueness and arbitrariness.
For example, Beijing's "Regulations" clearly stipulate that commercial street signboards should "reflect the vitality of commercial blocks and provide creative space for operators to design independently". Shanghai's "Regulations" also state that the signboard guidelines should "reflect the regional environment, architectural style and business characteristics, and avoid homogenization of styles, colors and fonts".
It can be seen that developed cities not only pursue overall coordination and unity, but also pay attention to the autonomy and personality of merchants when standardizing shop signs. This approach of following the laws of urban development and respecting the demands of the public interest is an excellent example that we can learn from. Looking at the overall situation, urban development is actually about a kind of "orderly vitality". We cannot blindly pursue blunt unity and stifle vitality; Nor can we let it go unchecked and fall into chaos. Only by profoundly grasping the internal laws of urban development and through flexible and oriented management can we complement each other.
It's like the power of a butterfly flapping its wings, which may be small, but will eventually be amplified by a complex environmental system. In the same way for urban management, as long as we grasp the degree well, move it with emotion and understand it with reason, it will surely form a strong positive energy and promote the evolution of the city in an orderly and dynamic direction.
In short, urban management is far from an overnight thing, and it requires governance to maintain an open and inclusive mind, uphold a patient and pragmatic attitude, listen to the voices of all parties, resolve contradictions and differences in the way of the greatest common divisor, and achieve harmony and harmony through flexible orientation.
Only in this way can our city radiate its unique charm and temperament, showing an unparalleled unique humanistic style. We look forward to more such urban management wisdom gradually maturing in practice, so that our urban landscape will become more and more warm and quality, and become a paradise for cultivating temperament and nourishing the soul.
(New column: Urban management is related to people's livelihood, and how to seek a balance between unity and diversity is a major proposition that needs to be discussed urgently.) What do you think about this topic? Do you also have unique insights and voyeuristic words? Feel free to leave your insights in the comment section and continue the discussion with us!) #不统一就砸招牌, too simple and crude| Beijing News Quick Commentary#