City Structure and the Shape of Community

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

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

One Sq.Km.: A BEIJING – MONTREAL COMPARISON

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

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. Density2. Land Use3. Street Network and Spatial Order4. 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 AmericaGross FAR of one sq. km. around 1.0 is the threshold of walkability. Below that the city is increasingly car-dependent.



Land-Use Mix: BeijingHighly 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.

Mixed Use, Walkable

Ironically, the retail on this site is actually

car sales showrooms.

Very Low Mix of Land Use Not Walkable

Highly Mixed Use, very Walkable

Tianjin University Campus, 1985, Mixed Use, Walkable



Chinese City PatternThe 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

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 Study Area, Street Network Hierarchy

Montreal Downtown Residential Study Area, Street Network Hierarchy

Beijing Study Area, Small Dead-end Lanes

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

Anyang Example 1 sq.km. Area, Street Network Hierarchy

Anyang Example 1 sq.km. Area, Street Network Hierarchy, Small Dead/Loop Roads, bicycle/pedestrian paths (green) traverse and link each block

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


shown in the next four

images. (Five storey walk-up

apartments)

Social Mix







Location of a Residential Courtyard Compound 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.)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



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 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

The beginnings of neighbourhood self-management

Typical Residential Districts in China

Western City PatternThe 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.

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 are usually light wells, not social space




Chinese City Pattern

Western City Pattern

Small-Scale Courtyard for the Extended Family


shown in the previous four

images

Large-Scale Courtyard for the Urban Neighbourhood

The western city normally does not have common outdoor space assigned to a group of households.



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-New York

Block Sizes of some Western Cities

Beijing, Nan Xin Yuan Residential District, My design, 1993Beijing’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 1993Pin-wheel Street pattern

designed to slow down through traffic.

However, property management

closed all perimeter

street intersectionsexcept 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.)Big enough for Communal Neighbourhood Activity

I lived here from 2003

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

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 plannersfor 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 ExperimentCombine 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.

The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks (Total: 16 hectares)Now, through car traffic is diverted to the perimeter and only local traffic goes inside the 400x400m block.

The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks (Total: 16 hectares)If we add a shared garden/yard in the middle it starts to look like a Chinese urban super-block.

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