50 Species-Towns presents an alternative model for agricultural modernization and agrarian new-town planning in China. This model is derived from a close reading of Chinese agricultural history and village life in support of the vital economic, environmental, and societal reforms currently underway. Building upon the "one town, one crop" model of economic integration, the proposal imagines fifty small-scale agricultural new towns across China. Each is conceived in relation to a single, specific heritage crop and associated agroecological system deemed to be of great culinary and cultural value. 50 Species- Towns aspires to reconcile the enlightened goal of improving the quality of life in the countryside without sacrificing the collective meaning derived from centuries of agrarian and culinary cultural heritage.

Charles Waldheim is the John E. Irving Professor and Director of the Office for Urbanization at the Graduate School of Design. In addition to his research, he advises public and private clients on questions of contemporary urbanism and collaborates with multi-disciplinary teams on urban projects around the world.

Gary Hilderbrand is the Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture and the Peter Louis Hornbeck Professor in Practice of Landscape Architecture at the Graduate School of Design.

Stanislaus Fung is a Lecturer in Architecture at the Graduate School of Design.

Bing Wang is the Associate Professor in Practice of Real Estate and the Built Environment at the Graduate School of Design.