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  1. A new form of the settlement

    What does the urban environment mean to us? The "Agglomeration effects" of the urban area provides a greater level of industrial activity in a given region, and a favorable environment for human capital development would also be generated simultaneously.

    Will the agglomeration effects stop? Or will they go on in a different form? The idea of the flotillas is an exaggerated version of exclaves and remote lifestyle: a city that is not limited to a geographic location.

  2. Consumerism takes dominance

    Consumerism, on the one hand, is part of the capitalist society as it is lead by the manufacturers' planned obsolescence and advertising to manipulate consumer spending. However, it also became a way people practicing and seeking identity.

    The reason why La Sape is controversial today is that we understand it is what we do, not what we wear, that defines who we are. But in a society where people are completely equal and don't need to work, what defines who we are?

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    In the story, we imagined that consumerism is the answer people choose. Meanwhile, limitless consumption when it does not cost anything will also be meaningless. Thus, in this imaginary society, people keep working in order to giving value to their consumption.

    The consumer society is thus a circular process, it needs to create, then consume, then destroy objects. This is the fuel of our way of life, and it will also be our undoing. (Consumer Society, Jean Baudrillard)

    Kinshasa artist Papa Mfumu'Eto 1er describes the life of Kinshasa using daily consumer goods, many of them are products from western countries and China, reflecting the neocolonialism and consumerism in the modern society of Kinshasa.

    Kinshasa artist Papa Mfumu'Eto 1er describes the life of Kinshasa using daily consumer goods, many of them are products from western countries and China, reflecting the neocolonialism and consumerism in the modern society of Kinshasa.

As the result, La cité du Fleuve is also La Société du spectacle (The Society of the Spectacle, Guy Debord), ****a consumer culture and commodity fetishism. The city is a reflection of the "historical moment at which the commodity completes its colonization of social life."

The city itself then becomes a commodity. It deconstructs yearly, always brings thrill to its citizens. The process not only provides consumption but also provides jobs. It is the thing that bring people meaning to their lives.

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