The Chinese Way of Building Cities: City Structure and the Shape of Community

Lecture at Tianjin University, School of Architecture, 24 May 2016

The Chinese Way of Building Cities

ARCH521: Structure of Cities, Fall Term 2014One Sq.Km.: A BEIJING – MONTREAL COMPARISONhttp://www.slideshare.net/qiaokate/one-sqkm-a-beijing-montreal-comparisonORhttp://issuu.com/mcgillarchitecture/docs/one_sq.km._beijing___montreal_compa

ARCH 540: Selected Topics, Winter Term, 2015ONE SQ. KM. / SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE http://www.slideshare.net/qiaokate/onesqkm-civic-centres-20150427ORhttp://issuu.com/mcgillarchitecture/docs/onesqkm_civic_centres_20150427

This presentation summarizes research done at McGill University, Fall Term 2014, called:

One Sq.Km.: A BEIJING – MONTREAL COMPARISON

http://www.slideshare.net/qiaokate/one-sqkm-a-beijing-montreal-comparison

http://issuu.com/mcgillarchitecture/docs/one_sq.km._beijing___montreal_compa

http://www.slideshare.net/qiaokate/onesqkm-civic-centres-20150427

http://issuu.com/mcgillarchitecture/docs/onesqkm_civic_centres_20150427

Research done at McGill University, Fall Term 2014

Research done at McGill University, Fall Term 2014

One Square Kilometer Study Areas Beijing , East of East Second Ring Road

The average Plot Ratio (FAR) of the whole large urban block shown above is 2.1, about double the equivalent area in the Plateau Areas of Montreal (1.1) and about 6 times the

density of a Montreal suburb.

The Plot Ratio (FAR) of the area inside the red boundary (about 1.0 sq.km.) is about 1.1

Montreal Study Area, The Plateau: Downtown Residential

The Plot Ratio (FAR) of the area inside the yellow boundary (about 1.0 sq.km.) is about 0.35

Montreal Study Area: Brossard Suburbs

City Structure and the Shape of Community

1. Density

2. Land Use

3. Street Network and Spatial Order

4. Block Size


1. Density

2. Land Use


4. Block Size

Beijing, One Sq. KM (FAR: 2.02)

Montreal Downtown Residential, One Sq. KM (FAR 1.17)

Montreal Suburb, One Sq. KM. (FAR: 0.35)

Beijing Study Area Streetscape

Montreal “Downtown” Study Area Streetscape

Montreal Suburb Study Area Streetscape

Sample Population Densities: Red is Asia, Blue is Europe, Green is North America

Gross FAR of one sq. km. around 1.0 is the threshold of walkability.

Below that the city is increasingly car-dependent.


1. Density

2. Land Use


4. Block Size

Transition from an extended family compound (the coutyard house) to a multi-family compond (modern housing estate): The courtyard is a deep-seated Eastern pattern, that is persisting and re-appearing - at a larger scale and higher density - in the residential compounds that are the basic building blocks of China’s recent urban explosion. The social scale has also expanded. The courtyard house was originally designed for the extended family; the new residential compound courtyards are for a neighbourhood, an emerging and increasingly self-managed urban territory and social unit.

Beijing: Land Divided into Multi-family Componds

Sun City

Land-Use Mix: Beijing

Beijing: Highly Mixed Use, very Walkable

Sun City

CHINA

Contemporary Land Use Pattern

reminiscent of the Socialist Work Unit (Danwei)

Highly Mixed Use, very Walkable

An Example of a Work Unit: Tianjin University Campus, 1985, Mixed Use, Very Walkable

No Gated Communities

in this study area.

In the west, “Gated Community”

suggests privilege and elitism.

In China all social classes live

In the same residential

compound type.

Montreal (Plateau Area)

Relativey High Density

Mixed Use, Walkable

Ironically, the retail on this site

is actually

car sales showrooms.

Montreal Suburb

Very Low Mix of Land Use

Not Walkable


1. Density

2. Land Use


4. Block Size

Chinese Spatial OrderThe semi-private or semi-public space courtyard space,

belonging to an extended family or a group of residential buildings,allows family activities and social interaction to occur in that space.

Residential

Western Spatial OrderThe semi-private or semi-public space courtyard space,

belonging to an extended family or a group of residential buildings,usually does not exist. The transition from the dwelling to the

public street is more direct.

Beijing Study Area, Street Network Hierarchy

Beijing Study Area, Small Dead-end Lanes

1 sq.km. Area, Street Network Hierarchy

1 sq.km. Area, Street Network Hierarchy,

Small Dead/Loop Roads, bicycle/pedestrian paths (green) traverse and

link each block




Montreal Downtown Residential Study Area, Street Network Hierarchy, Open Grid

Montreal Study Area, Street Network Hierarchy, Small Open-ended Lanes

Montreal Suburb Study Area, Street Network Hierarchy

Montreal Suburb Beijing Study Area, Street Network Hierarchy, Small Loop Roads

Chinese Spatial OrderThe semi-private or semi-public space courtyard space,

belonging to an extended family or a group of residential buildings,allows family activities and social interaction to occur in that space.

Residential

Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Major Arterial Road

Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Major Arterial Road

Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Arterial Road, Sidewalk

Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Secondary Road

Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Tertiary Road

Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Small Road

Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Small Road

Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates






Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates:

Pedestrians can squeeze through a gate in the gate

Inside Neighbourhood Garden/Yard, Near the Entrance

Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

Communal Neighbourhood Activity

Location of

residents

shown in the

previous four

images

Location of

residents

shown in the

next four

images. (Five

storey walk-up

apartments)

Social Mix







Location of a Residential Courtyard Compound called Sun City in Beijing (East of East Second Ring Road)

with four towers, 24 floors each. My home since 2003.

Beijing, Yang Guang Du Shi (Sun City) Residential District (2.4 h. inside the red line)

Big enough for Communal Neighbourhood Activity

Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District Garden/Yard





Beijing, Yang Guang Du Shi Residential District Garden/Yard – English Corner

Streets: Hierarchy, Arterial Road

The location of the Sun City

Residential Compound activity

is on the other side,

at the base of, this building.

Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District. Summer, 2016

Preparation for the formation of a Residents Committee, the beginning of self-management

Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District,

first, newly-formed Residents Committee. Population of the district is about 300 people.

The beginnings of neighbourhood self-management.

The residents can now hire or fire the property management company.


first, newly-formed Residents Committee

Vote to chose a new property management company.

October 2017


first, newly-formed Residents Committee

Vote to chose a new property management company.

October 2017

Typical Residential Districts in China




Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)




Montreal Plateau


Montreal PlateauMontreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)


Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)Temporary Summer Street Closure for Communal Activity

Montreal Plateau

Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)Life in the Street

Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)Life in the Street

Montreal Plateau

Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)Small Back Lanes (Alleys)

Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)Life in the Back Lane (Alley)

Beijing Residential Semi-Private Social Space is usually not found in the open-street land-use system of the West.

Beijing Residential Semi-Private Social Space is usually not found in the open-street land-use system of the West.

The Yards in these buildings (Paris) are usually light wells, not social space

The Yards in these buildings (Rome) are usually light wells, not social space

The Yards in these buildings (Copenhagan) are usually light wells, not social space

The Yards in these buildings (Venice) are usually light wells, not social space

Chinese Spatial Order

Western Spatial Order

Small-Scale Courtyard for the Extended Family

Location of

residents

shown in the

previous four

images

Large-Scale Courtyard for the Urban NeighbourhoodPolouation, about 2000 people living on 2.4 h. of land = 830 people/hectare

The western city normally does not have common outdoor space assigned to a group of households.Population density about 300 to 400 people/hectare.


1. Density

2. Land Use


4. Block Size

Large Super-Blocks for through traffic

with narrow hutongs. Traditonally

the hutongs were gated, now they are open.

Central Beijing: Traditional Large City Blocks

Block Size Comparison: Beijing at the top, Manhattan below

Block Sizes

of some Western Cities

Beijing, Nan Xin Yuan Residential District, My design, 1993

Beijing’s First Social Housing Project

Beijing, Nan Xin Yuan Residential District 1993, 10.2 hectares

Construction Area: 222,000 sq.m.

Plot Ratio: 2.16

Population Density: 777 people/hectare

Beijing, Nan Xin Yuan

Residential District 1993

Pin-wheel Street pattern

designed to slow down

through traffic.

However,

property management

closed

all perimeter

street intersections

except at the north

where gates and guards

were installed.

Beijing’s First Social Housing Project

Entrances all face a common yard to encourage neighbour interaction

Nan Xin Yuan is in the southeast (bottom right) corner. The pin-wheel interior street

pattern divides the 15 hectare block into a central 1 hectare park, and four smaller blocks

of 3, 5, 3, and 2 hectares.

Beijing, Yang Guang Du Shi (Sun City) Residential District (2.4 h. inside red line)

Big enough for Communal Neighbourhood Activity

I lived here from 2003

Beijing, Ju Er Hu Tong Phase 2, Residential District (0.6 hectares inside red line)

I lived here from 1993-2002

Ju Er Hutong Courtyard Regeneration Project

BeijingWinner of UN Habitat Award

Cliff Moughtin, Emeritus Professor of Planning at the University of Nottingham, believes too large a block destroys city life.

"The larger and more homogenous the street block the greater will be its power to destroy the social, economic, and physical networks of the city.

The large-scale single-use, single-ownership street block is the instrument most influential in the decline of the city: its effect, together with that

of its partner the motorcar, are among the real causes of the death of the great city."

[1] Cliff Moughtin, Urban Design: Green Dimensions, 1996, Architectural Press, P.138

The Chinese large block residential compounds are criticized by western planners

for creating traffic problems, and for reducing life in the streets.





Not all foreign planners are against the Chinese residential compound pattern. Below is a statement

by Jeff Johnson at the China Lab at Columbia that focuses on the Chinese super block

as a potentially positive force in urban planning and social order.

The Barcelona Friendly Superblock Experiment

Combine 9 original blocks to make one superblock.

The size of the Barcelona superblock (about 16 hectares)

is similar in size the Chinese residential neighbourhood superblock.

The main difference is the degree of porosity.

The Barcelona superblock is open to through-traffic for pedestrians and cyclists.

The Chinese urban superblock is closed to through-traffic pedestrians and cyclists.

The main difference is the degree of porosity.

The Barcelona superblock is open to through-traffic for pedestrians and cyclists.

The Chinese urban superblock is closed to through-traffic pedestrians and cyclists.

The Barcelona Friendly Superblock Experiment

The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks (Total: 16 hectares)

Before, all traffic went everywhere.


Now, through car traffic is diverted to the perimeter and only local traffic goes inside the 400x400m block.


If we add a shared garden/yard in the middle it starts to look like a Chinese urban super-block.


A 16 hectare block is similar to a Chinese urban super-block. Each of the smaller 1.8 hectare

blocks is large enough for an internal semi-private shared social space.

The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks

If we add common facilities such as kindergarten, infirmary, senior’s center, residents committee office,

(Chinese “pei tao”) at the center we get an even stronger resemblance to a Chinese Residential Compound.

Thank you!谢谢!