Neville Mars

Neville Mars profile

Associate Professor in Practice, Urban Design

E: neville.mars@monash.edu

Neville Mars is an Associate Professor of Urban Design at Monash University, Indonesia. He holds a PhD from RMIT University on the topic of Asian urbanism and a Master of Architecture from Delft University of Technology. He is a registered architect in Rotterdam.

Before joining Monash University, Indonesia, Mars founded MARS Architects Shanghai, an award-winning design studio delivering innovative public buildings and numerous masterplans across Asia, Europe, and Central America — including post-disaster planning for UN-Habitat in Tacloban, Philippines, and United Mumbai for the BMW Guggenheim Lab.

His practice bridges urban theory and practice through the ongoing research and publications of the Dynamic City Foundation (DCF), a non-profit research platform investigating rapid urbanisation in Asia. His research focuses on context-specific, regenerative spatial models for rapidly urbanising territories in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, including a transit-based regional development strategy for Central Java, and the research-by-design competition on the future of Nusantara as a forest city (EPOCH45) with UNDIP Semarang.

Mars is the author of ‘The Chinese Dream — a society under construction’ (010 Publishers, 2008), a seminal work on Chinese urbanism. Mars is the author of The Chinese Dream — a society under construction (010 Publishers, 2008). His forthcoming book, Zero City — A Manifesto for Urbanisation in the Anthropocene, examines regenerative models for a world dominated by insular, greenfield planning practices.

Instagram: @_zero.city_ (urban research), @MARS_Architects_Bali (architecture)

More information

Books

  • Zero City — A Manifesto for Urbanisation in the Anthropocene (forthcoming). Examines regenerative models for a world dominated by insular, greenfield planning practices.
  • The Chinese Dream — a society under construction (2008). With A. Hornsby. 010 Publishers, Rotterdam. 800 p.
  • The Little White Book — participatory planning in China. Urban China Publishers. 100 p.

Journal articles

  • "From Contours to Constituencies: Reimagining Political Boundaries Through Land Use Clusters." With et al. Land, 15(1):104 (2026).

Guest editor, journals

  • Urban China Magazine #67 — "China’s Creative Cluster Conundrum"
  • Urban China Magazine #35 — "How to be holistic spending 4.2 Trillion"

Selected articles in professional books and journals

  • "Dealing with Dynamic Density, Measurable / Non-Measurable — Intensities in ten cities." In Keio Institute for Architecture and Urbanism, edited by Darko Radovic.
  • "China’s Dreams Deconstructed." Volume #16 ‘Social Engineering’, Archis + AMO-OMA + C-lab.
  • "New City Nation, Cities from Zero." In Shumon Basar (ed.), AA Publications, London.
  • "400 New Cities and the Impossibility of Planning." Blauwe Kamer, Blauwdruk Publishers, NL.
  • "Carving Landscapes." Domus — The China edition, edited by Stefano Boeri.
  • "Taming Beijing." In Beijing 798 — Reflections on Architecture and Society in China, Timezone 8 Publishers.
  • "Now or Never: 100% renewable by 2030." Zhou Mo Hua Bao, Shao Foundation Publishers.
  • "The Fear Factor." Area, special issue: China, In the wake of cities.
  • "Utopie. Utopisch denken doen en bouwen in de twintigste eeuw." NIOD, Luuk van Middelaar. (Utopia: Utopian thought models in planning and building in the twentieth century)
  • "100 Urban Trends — Mumbai." Guggenheim Publishing and Media, New York.
  • "A Self-Contained Utopia." AD: New Urban China — The Chinese City, Vol. 78, Architectural Design.
  • "Flash Urbanism — From Micro-planned to Macro-Organic." Urban Flux (currently E-Flux).
  • "The Cunning City — When Megacities Merge." Kilometer Zero #3, Kilometer Zero Publishing, Paris.
  • "Satellites, Split Cities and other powerless planning models." Tank, Volume 3.
  • "Fortification the Final Formula." World Architecture #206, WA Publishing (Chinese), Beijing.
  • "Between Walls and Water." AC, 12/08, Special Issue: Super Dutch in China, Archicreation, Shanghai.
  • BURB — the future of Asian cityscapes. With A. Hornsby. Urban China Publishers.
  • Phaidon 10x10_3: 10 Curators x 10 Architects. With Shumon Basar. Phaidon Publishers.

Other publications

Manifesto United Mumbai — towards an integrated urban fabric. BMW Guggenheim Lab.

Teaching projects

  • The Congestion-Vacancy Paradox, Warmedewa, UNDIP, DCF, Bali, 2025
  • Urban Capacity (UPD 207), XJTLU, 2022
  • PLAN B (UPD 306), XJTLU, 2021
  • Java Predicament — GIS-based design studio, RMIT, 2020
  • Java Predicament — cross-scalar architectural design studio, RMIT, 2019
  • Taihu XL — Circular Metropolis, RMIT Shanghai Study Center, 2018, 2017
  • Integrated design studio and lecture course, China Academy of Arts, Hangzhou, 2016–2017
  • LW Circus I, II, III, Arnolab, Florence (landscape art collective installation), 2017, 2018, 2019
  • Fragmentation and Coarseness (Urban Theory Semester), University of Southern California, Shanghai
  • Design Studio ‘Architecture and Brandalism’, AA Summer School, London, 2003, 2005

Research interests

  • Flash urbanisation, urban fields and geospatial analysis
  • Rural-urban linkages, piecemeal and organic development
  • Data analysis and scenario-based planning
  • Geospatial mapping for community planning
  • Gaps between urban theory and planning practice

Current research programme

  • EPOCH45 — research-by-design on the future of Nusantara 2045, with UNDIP Semarang

Key urban planning and research projects

  • Sustainable Vision Pudong 2040 (winning bid), Pudong Planning Committee
  • Wuhan Berlin Town (winning bid), Wuhan planning committee
  • Circular Qingpu (winning bid), SUPDRI, Shanghai
  • Sino-Dutch Ecocity, Longgang, Shenzhen (chief planner, winning bid)
  • Tacloban, Philippines — master plan + land use plan for UN-Habitat (implemented)
  • Taihu XL — Circular Metropolis, DCF and RMIT
  • Zoo Park, Pudong Shanghai (direct commission)
  • Tongzhou Masterplan (consultancy for MVRDV-Hassell)
  • Manifesto United Mumbai — urban strategy for BMW Guggenheim Lab
  • Dynamic Density — comparative study of Beijing’s new towns
  • China’s Clusters Compared — study of PRC urban clusters with McKinsey hubs and DCF urban fields
  • Beijing 2020 — density research and counter proposal
  • The Megalopolis — mapping Chinese mega urban fields (study + policy proposal for DRC Beijing)
  • Ecocity Caofeidian — master plan applying Evolutionary Planning principles
  • Tianjin Green CBD — sustainable, pedestrian-orientated business district
  • Hui'An 2020 — urban master plan

Invited lectures (keynotes, university lectures, TEDx) — partial list

  • Hopkins China Forum, Shanghai (opening speech)
  • Future of Cities Forum, World Future Council, Munich (keynote)
  • Victoria & Albert Museum, London (keynote for 'China Design Now')
  • Columbia University, New York
  • MIT / China Planning Network, Beijing
  • INK Conference / TED India, Kochi (Mega to Micro)
  • Harvard GSD / East Asia Society, Cambridge
  • Keio University, Tokyo (keynote)
  • Volkswagen Group, Berlin (keynote)
  • Universidade de São Paulo
  • AA School, London
  • Studio X Mumbai, Columbia GSAPP
  • RIBA, London (keynote)
  • SCI-Arc, Los Angeles
  • Tongji University, Shanghai
  • City Hall, Sydney (keynote)
  • Taiwan World Ecocities Forum, Taipei (keynote)
  • Melbourne University (keynote)
  • Berlage Institute, Rotterdam

TEDx talks

  • TEDx The Bund (Shanghai) — China’s Ecocity conundrum
  • TEDx Shanghai — Between Hope and Hazard
  • TEDx Beijing 798 — System failure 101
  • TEDx Guangzhou — How to be Holistic?
  • TEDx City2.0 — Cloud City
  • TEDx Canton — The Chinese Dream
  • TEDx INK Talks (2010, 2015)

Organised forums and workshops

  • China's Creative Clusters Conundrum (collaborative planning relay + symposium at UCCA, Beijing)
  • Green From Scratch II, NAi with HK scholars hub, Rotterdam
  • Meet in the Middle (six-week symposium), BMW Guggenheim Lab, Mumbai
  • BARC evolutionary planning for Caofeidian, Shanghai World Expo 2010
  • China Now — international summit on urban planning, DCF co-organiser with RIBA London
  • Soldier at The Gates / Expansion and Exclusion, with 798 and Huang Rui

Online talks

  • PhD defence: ASIA BACK-UP — evolutionary planning for pressured urban land (YouTube)

Academic and professional awards

  • Phaidon 10 x 10 — Young Architects, Phaidon Press
  • Critics’ Choice — Shenzhen Architectural Biennial 2008 (for "Neon Dreams")
  • IFCHP Documentary film award — Moving Manhattan

Design and planning awards (winning bids)

  • Collider Flagship Store & Headquarters, Sofia (open international competition)
  • China National Image Museum, Chengdu (invited competition)
  • Chongqing Tower (invited competition)
  • Helan Province Pavilion, Shanghai World Expo 2010
  • Sustainable Vision Pudong 2040 (Pudong Planning Committee)
  • Sino-Dutch Ecocity, Shenzhen (chief planner)

Fellowships and honours

  • BMW Guggenheim Lab fellow
  • INK fellow
  • Guest editor, Urban China magazine
  • Lead curator, Xi'An Bi-City Biennale 2021

Selected exhibitions and installations

  • Seoul 2019 City Biennale — Taihu XL (VR installation)
  • Design H(ij)ack — co-organiser with Ai Weiwei Ordos 100, 2019
  • Genetic City — 46m circular video wall at Shanghai World Expo 2010
  • The Water Bench — 100 Urban Trends Exhibition, Guggenheim Museum, New York
  • Beijing Real_time — interactive installation modeling population densities in realtime
  • Neon Dreams — HK & Shenzhen Bi-city Biennale
  • Beijing Boom Tower — DIAF International Art Festival; Guangdong Museum of Art (permanent collection)

Key architectural projects (winning bids / commissions)

  • China National Image Museum, Chengdu
  • Collider Headquarters, Sofia
  • Sustainable housing complex MiraValle, Quito, Ecuador
  • Helan Province Pavilion, Shanghai World Expo 2010
  • Villa, Private Museum and Art Studio for Huang Rui, Beijing
  • Hyundai Motorstudio exhibition, Beijing 798