This issue of appraisal. at present. explores the theme of worldbuilding in our daily work. Everything we do involves planning to create or recreate worlds, both big and small.
How do we approach our planning? How do we safeguard the present and execute our ideas for the future? What spaces, products, and services are we considering?
In a time of uncertainty and unsettling events, many are calling for a change in the ‘world order’, sometimes with kindness. Some advocate a return to nature and simplicity or provide solutions to the problems that plague us. Others create smaller worlds through spaces and places, brands and ideas. Some re-engineer themselves. Some start on the outside, and others from the inside. These differing approaches depend much on the way one lives their life.
Accordingly, borrowing from the tools of fictional world-builders, we have developed a conversation guided by two approaches: OUTSIDE-IN and INSIDE-OUT.
The OUTSIDE-IN approach prioritizes how external factors influence the planning process and aims to create solutions that resonate with people’s aspirations. Worldbuilders and planners consider the world— real or imagined—before (or alongside) the development of their project idea.
To discuss this approach, we have taken the example of Chinatowns.
Chinatowns exemplify ‘outside-in’ worldbuilding as ethnic enclaves that develop organically outside their residents’ original cultural homeland; they are shaped by the migration experiences, architecture, social networks, and cultural practices of Chinese immigrants adapting to new urban environments.
We discuss Bangkok’s Chinatown—Yaowarat—which developed in the mid-19th century as a settlement of mainly Teochew Chinese immigrants. Originally located on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River, in 1782 residents were resettled downstream of the city center, in an area that later rose to prominence as Bangkok’s main commercial area.
In the same way, Singapore’s Chinatown evolved from a small community to Chinese and Indian migrants, re-organized into a designated colonial settlement in the early 19th century for Chinese migrants. The area sports a distinctive shophouse architecture influenced by several architectural styles and features a number of temples from different religions in close proximity.
Although only briefly mentioned in this issue, Milan’s Paolo Sarpi today is the product of several architectural and urban planning transformations, including pedestrianization and the creation of open communal spaces in the 2000s, that have prompted the local entrepreneurial class to diversify their business presence.
As a result of historic and economic changes, the identity and role of these areas has become the subject of much discussion, with conversations centering on how to balance heritage preservation with innovation.
Despite the various challenges, these areas show resilience and are reaping the benefits of their tourism appeal.
The INSIDE-OUT approach leverages an organization or area’s internal strengths and capabilities to drive development. It emphasizes leveraging existing resources, knowledge, and assets to inform planning and design.
In this section, we explore the voices of brands and commercial space developers as organizations who develop their identity, products, and experiences based on their internal strengths, values, and vision before reaching out to the market. These brands determine their core strategy, culture, and capabilities first, establishing a foundation that they then express externally through their design, messaging, and customer experience, shaping how the public perceives and interacts with them.
Adopting an ‘inside-out’ approach for brands and commercial spaces complements the discussion of Chinatowns, especially as both grapple with the tension between authenticity and innovation.
While their starting points differ, both ‘outside-in’ and ‘inside-out’ approaches ultimately face the dual challenge of delivering a consistent product and remaining relevant.
Over time, a return to identity-based models of synergy—blending community needs with internal strengths—could help cities and organizations to overcome the current ‘differentiation crisis.’
For Chinatowns, this means evolving their identity and role to address new social and economic realities. For brands, it involves reassessing their relevance and maintaining consistency amid external uncertainties. Ultimately, both require an elliptical approach opposing different aspects for open-ended inquiry, balancing core values with external demands to stay resilient, adaptive, and meaningful in a rapidly changing world.