YOUtopia social project

The YOUtopia is a two-story high expandable roof structure on bicycle wheels that can seat up to 8 cyclists. It is designed to collapse to the size of a double-decker bus so that it can be pedaled from one location to another. When parked, a canopy can open like an accordion to cover entire streets. The design references expandable canopies popular in Southern China. These are typically used by small businesses such as restaurants and bars to temporarily expand their spaces into parking lots and public sidewalks in an informal way. We collaborated with People's Architect and create this public art for the opening ceremony for Qian Tan Tai Koo Li in Shanghai, China. The canopies were paraded through the communities and cycled by members of the communities. The core idea was to redesign traditional tools like bicycles and market canopies. Through the collective act of “riding together,” it symbolized reconnecting urban public spaces with communities, while using public art installations to reimagine the city’s cultural identity. After the event the canopy was installed in the shopping mall, linking public squares and markets. It housed a myriad of cultural events and become a recognizable fixture of the place offering identity to its neighbourhood.