With the rapid progress of urbanization in China, the demand for urban public spaces has grown significantly. However, many public spaces lack the vitality needed to meet the diverse needs of residents. Enhancing public space vitality is crucial for optimizing relationships between people and between people and spaces. Establishing a scientific quantitative assessment framework and indicator...
Since the beginning of the 21st century the world has witnessed numerous global and local events that have led humanity back to hoping for more just and peaceful futures. Urban planning systems hold the potential to support such hope, with the anticipation of transforming lives, and the willingness to act towards realising such future visions. Particularly public spaces have a distinctive role...
The transformation of underused industrial sites into vibrant public spaces is a growing challenge in contemporary urban planning. While traditional regeneration approaches often prioritize physical rehabilitation, this study introduces chrono-urbanism and music as dynamic triggers for reactivating industrial sites as inclusive, dynamic public spaces. Chrono-urbanism emphasizes the temporal...
Public spaces have always played a central role in shaping urban quality providing a range of socially valuable services. However, in an age of growing social inequalities, environmental challenges and political polarization, the question of how public spaces can foster inclusion, equity and positive change becomes more critical than ever.
Public spaces have the potential to inspire hope by...
The ever-changing relationship between the water body and urban hinterland has been weakened by the increasing presence of industrial and port spaces in the inner-city waterfront that pushed cities away from the water and ended up as enclaved spaces in the longer term. Changing conditions in the inner-city waterfronts over the last half-century gave the possibility of re-integrating...
Historic trunk roads are formative elements of the urban fabric that play central infrastructural and functional roles. As public-owned linear spaces, they hold great transformation potential, especially when considered in conjunction with the adjacent urban fabric - for example with regard to mobility transition and climate change adaptations. Despite urban planning sovereignty in Vienna,...
The contemporary urban paradigm is undergoing a significant shift from traditional design standards to more flexible, context-sensitive, and participatory approaches, especially in response to challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this evolving context, urban regeneration strategies necessitate a reconsideration, particularly in post-socialist cities where public spaces frequently...
This research builds on three main contexts of the recent decade. Firstly, there is a recognition that the contemporary world is becoming increasingly complex, accompanied by an overload of sensory inputs that can lead to negative consequences. Secondly, the impact of aesthetic quality on human well-being and behaviour is recognised, with many urban design agendas and guidelines outlining the...
Highway cap parks are emerging as transformative urban green infrastructure, addressing environmental challenges while promoting physical activity (PA) and public space utilization in dense urban areas. This study examines the impact of the Bundang-Suseo Highway cap park in South Korea on residentsโ PA levels, focusing on walking, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity activities. Using...
Over the past three decades, the city has transformed from the most dangerous city in the world to a globally celebrated example of integrating social inclusion into urban transformation. This study explores Medellรญnโs Social Urbanism as a transformative urban planning paradigm shift, accommodating multiple narratives while adapting to an ever-evolving reality. Social Urbanism is characterised...
Adriatic cities face critical environmental and spatial challenges, mainly urban heat islands, flood risks and pollution, driven by urbanization and climate change. Green Infrastructure (GI) delivers critical ecosystem services to mitigate these issues. However, the planning and implementation of GI in the region often lack coherence, resulting in fragmented and suboptimal outcomes. To address...
Urban public spaces, which naturally draw diverse users and activities, remain a key topic of discussion, especially as migration and urban unpredictability continue to rise. Theories on public space highlight the importance of social interactions in all urban environments, including superdiverse examples. However, particularly in ethnically diverse, disadvantaged communities, urban policy and...
Young people use public spaces distinctively different from adults, seeking environments for social interactions, gatherings, and identity formation rather than purposeful activities. Their unique spatial use patterns - characterised by fluid group dynamics, extended stays, and spontaneous social activities - often conflict with conventional public space management. Traditional public spaces...
Streets are one of the important public spaces of daily life (Jacobs, 1961). Visual quality is an important factor that determines the attractiveness of these spaces and represents a perceptual value that represents the visual experience resulting from street views (Qi et al., 2023). In urban perception studies, street views provide indicators that allow spatial quality to be evaluated from a...
This research investigates how public spaces act as catalysts for the formation and evolution of spatial identity within the context of Slovenian settlements. Focusing on the dynamic interplay between historical and contemporary urban development, the study examines how the design, use and social significance of public spaces contribute to, and are influenced by, the nation's unique cultural...
Public spaces have always played a central role in shaping vibrant urban experiences. As the primary venues for residentsโ daily public activities, city streets offer multiple functions, including commuting, leisure, socializing, and exercise (Hassen & Kaufman, 2016). High-quality street environments not only improve residentsโ health and quality of life but also directly affect urban...
One of the central tasks of city public spaces is to provide settings for unplanned social encounters and interactions (Mehta, 2013). Access to interpersonal participation and encounters in public spaces affects citizensโ well-being (Toolis, 2017). Stevens notes, โIt is in public open spaces that people are best able and most likely to engage with the social diversity gathered together in...
Background Information and Relevance to the Track:
Urban planning and design processes have always incorporated the principles of healthy living and enhancing quality of life. In recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, the connection between public health and urban planning has gained significant attention, complying with the Sustainable Development Goals. This has led...
Providing opportunities for rich and meaningful interactions with physical and social environment is crucial for supporting the physical, psychological and social well-being of people of all ages, and particularly the vulnerable populations, such as older adults. Associated declines in sensory and cognitive capacities that occur as people age affect profoundly older adultsโ quality of life and...
As part of the European project โHuman Cities-SMOTIES: Creative Works with Small and Remote Places,โ Alternance Architecture and Urban Planning, in collaboration with the Faculty of Planning and Design at the Agricultural University of Iceland, conducted a project on historic public spaces in the small town of Borgarnes, Iceland.
Titled โSรถgutorginโ (Historic Squares), it aimed to design a...
Universal Design is focusing on the seven principles addressed by Story, Mueller and Mace (1998) in North Carolina State University Center for Universal Design, for enhancement of inclusivity for various fields and scopes of design. Some of those principles are; principles of perceptible information, simple and intuitive use and size and space for approach and use, especially need enhancements...
Public spaces have always constituted a fundamental component of urban life, providing a platform for social interaction, cultural expression, and the formation of collective identity. They function as both material and symbolic environments for community activities, serving as sites where individuals construct and share meanings through their experiences. This study focuses on the symbolic...
This study focuses on the layers of the urban transformation in one of the most central and valued areas of Istanbul. Bomonti with its unique history offers a site where the impacts of political economy of the various eras can be read. Influenced by global production and consumption dynamics, as well as central and local land use decisions, Bomonti has undergone a dramatic transformation over...
Historically, public spaces have been central to civic life, fostering social interaction, cultural exchange, and collective expression. However, due to the increasing social inequalities, growing urban populations, and public health challenges, the importance of well-designed public spaces become even more evident. When thoughtfully created and activated, these spaces can serve as beacons of...
With rising temperatures and the accelerating pace of global climate change, a host of environmental challenges have emerged, demanding urgent and innovative solutions. Carbon-neutral urban planning and design have become imperative to mitigate the adverse effects of these challenges. As cities and buildings are major consumers of secondary energy, they play a critical role in reducing...
Haoyue Zhu, Jie Yin*
Abstract๏ผ
The rapid urbanization process and decreasing opportunities for human-nature interactions have intensified global concerns about mental health. While biophilic design is widely acknowledged for its potential to support psychological restoration, the dominance of vision in human perception often leads to the neglect of other sensory modalities in design,...
Neighborhood living rooms ('buurthuiskamers') are a distinct form of public space in urban neighborhoods in the Netherlands. As social and community spaces of meeting, encounter and connection, they play an important role in maintaining feelings of home and liveability in urban neighborhoods under austerity and neoliberal governance regimes, allowing communities to 'weave new networks of trust...
As urban areas face rising environmental challengesโincluding biodiversity loss, climate change, and the uneven distribution of resourcesโthere is an increasing need to rethink approaches to designing public spaces that foster inclusion and resilience for both human and non-human communities. Urban environments, shaped largely by human priorities, often overlook the roles that non-human beings...
With the rapid advancement of contemporary society, urban residents are increasingly demanding a better quality of life. Recreational services offered by ecological public spaces play an essential role in enhancing collective human well-being. However, given the rapid economic growth, rising levels of urbanization, and swift population expansion, the imbalance between the demand and supply of...
Urban wastelands, as abandoned, underutilized, or functionally ambiguous lands, are often regarded as "spatial fragments" or "marginal spaces" in urban development, typically lacking clear functional designation purposes (Gandy, 2013). In the Chinese context, informal farms are generally part of urban wastelands created by urban villages or other communities using minimal materials and basic...
Open spaces in cities, serving as vital carriers of blue-green infrastructure and urban wind corridors, are crucial for mitigating urban heat island effect (UHI). This study aims to further investigate the complex relationship between open space morphology and UHI, propose corresponding optimization strategies, and validate them through simulation.
Taking Xishan District in Wuxi City, Jiangsu...
Introduction
Weight stigmaโa societal bias linking body weight to personal failureโspatially excludes overweight adolescents from public sports areas by intensifying fears of social judgment. In Shanghaiโs Quyang Park, overcrowded and highly visible exercise zones deter this group from physical activity, worsening health disparities. This study examines how spatial configurations...
Cities have many layers, networks, and relations that include different activities while they house diverse groups that constitute the minority or majority of society. Cities also create their own written and unwritten rules while they are formed and reformed from their unique relations and networks. These rules are usually set by the majority and/or the authority, excludingโand even...
It is projected that between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the worldโs population over 60 years old will nearly double, rising from 12% to 22%. By 2030, 1 in 6 people worldwide will be aged 60 or older. Consequently, the number of people aged 60 years and over will increase from 1 billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion. By 2050, the global population of people aged 60 years and older is projected...
Urban spaces play a crucial role in shaping social behaviors and the quality of life of residents. In this context, urban structures also influence public health outcomes. The quality of green spaces, accessibility to recreational infrastructure, and pedestrian-friendly urban design significantly impact residents' health. However, the implementation of these elements varies across cities....
Urban accessibility construction from a global perspective emphasizes the enhancement of inclusiveness and equity in cities. Community public spaces, as central hubs of daily life, serve as crucial entry points for advancing urban accessibility initiatives. With the aging population and a growing number of individuals with disabilities, the creation of barrier-free environments in the older...
Daily physical activity is essential for a healthy society. In recent years, exercise habits have diversified, with people working out at home, in gyms, and in open public spaces. However, not everyone has the time or financial resources to go to the gym, and increasingly smaller homes often lack the space for indoor exercise. As a result, governments must implement public policies that...
The cities exposed to multiple transitional flows have been facing various challenges which especially affect vulnerable and marginalised groups. The strong division between the winners and the losers of the neoliberal mechanisms reflects in urban setting and its public spaces, where the discrepancies between the reality and the globally announced mantras of sustainability, resilience, equity...
Global economic instabilities are causing various changes in individuals' daily lives, and public space is also being affected by these transformations. One of these transformations is the evolving practices of alcohol consumption, influenced by both rising alcohol prices and the search for alternative social gatherings. Public drinking is not just about consuming alcohol; it is also a form of...
The role of public space continues to be significant amidst substantial transformations in political systems across various European cities (Madanipour & Knierbein, 2004; Svirsic, Zlatar, and Niksic, 2021). In current discussions and in response to that, even the term 'public space' has increasingly evolved into 'common space' (Castro & Martรญ, 2016; Hardt & Negri, 2011; Foster & Iaione, 2016;...
The majority of urban open spaces are designed for motorised vehicles, highlighting the role of the street as a means for maximising car efficiency and space for transportation, stripping it of its social dimension and placing people in the margins of public spaces. Various problems, including high levels of environmental pollution, noise, high energy consumption and inactive lifestyles have...
Southern European cities have been hit hard by economic austerity, climate-related events, impact of migration flows, as well as socio-sanitary damages during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this multiple-crises context, public open spaces in Athens, Greece, become sites of transformation and resistance under an ongoing commodification, supported by a persistent 'austerity urbanism' (Peck, 2012)...
Cities worldwide are changing, and so are the public spaces within them. At a point in history where the future is uncertain, and images of war, violence and conflict flash on various screens, many urban residents are hesitant to engage in public life and space. Growing polarisation, inequality and environmental threats drive people to hide behind barriers, feeling increasingly threatened and...
With the rapid urbanization and increasing population mobility, cities worldwide are facing severe challenges related to segregation and inequality (Florida, 2017). A diverse population composition is vital for fostering social cohesion within urban areas (Moro et al., 2021). **Income segregation, stemming from the uneven spatial distribution of income groups, could profoundly undermine urban...
With the rapid societal changes and the progress of urbanization, traditional libraries are increasingly unable to meet the diverse cultural service needs. The publicโs perception of the role of public reading spaces has gradually shifted from venues that store books to being a form of social infrastructure that promotes social interaction. In recent years, a large number of community reading...
Public spaces are increasingly recognized as pivotal sites for fostering social interaction, cultural expression, and political engagement. However, face of social and climate challenges, their potential as environments for future shaping and hope fostering is intrinsically related to the effective engagement of diverse communities, aiming to overcome structural social inequalities. This paper...
Public spaces, including (in)formal temporary hawker bazaars on publicly owned land, serve as important sites for transformative urban changes and inclusive community-building. This paper examines the Saving Pang Jai Campaign, a self-mobilised, community-led planning initiative in Hong Kong in the mid-2010s that sought to preserve and reimagine the Yen Chow Street Temporary Hawker Bazaar...
Public spaces are critical components of urban life, serving as venues for social interaction, cultural expression, and community engagement. This study examines the interplay between formal and informal practices in place-making within public spaces, focusing on the urban context of Huifang, China. The research situates public space as a dynamic entity shaped by appropriation, governance...
Since 2019, China has promoted the concept of "People-Centered Urban Development," emphasizing the role of public spaces as a core component. As metropolitan areas transition into a phase of incremental urban renewal, the Chinese government has repeatedly stressed the importance of urban renewal. The 2025 State Council meeting on urban renewal highlighted the need to accelerate infrastructure...
This study subjects the appropriation practices of informal street vendors and performers (ISVP) who take part in the routine of urban life within the context of territorialization in public space. Beyond the realm of urban management, the appropriation practices of ISVP hold importance in challenging and reshaping existing socio-spatial systems. Multiple factors shape such practices,...
The transformative potential of public spaces, especially street transformations aimed at making cities child-friendly, lies in their ability to reimagine urban environments to better serve all inhabitants, particularly children. Streets, as childrenโs first public spaces, are crucial to their experience of the city. In vehicle-dominated cities, these spaces often become unsafe and...
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted health challenges, renewing attention to mental health issues, impacting particularly on younger generations. In the face of increasingly rapid processes of urbanization and de-urbanization though, isolation and social disconnection are emerging as a structural public health issue. The anxieties inherited from the cities of the 20th century thus add to new...
Background
Public Spaces have the empirical role of crossroads and functional hubs, as well as symbolic and cultural meaning of defining the community that creates and uses them. Warsaw, as a city with a turbulent history, has experienced in the last century massive destruction of the majority of its urban tissue. In the earlier XIX. century its surface was limited due to the occupants'...
In the last years, aesthetics has paid increasing attention to negative sensations (Berleantโs negative aesthetics) and to individual judgements that cannot aspire to universal validity (Saitoโs everyday aesthetics). The agreeable or pleasant, and especially its converse the unpleasant, have considerable motivating power for action and creativity (Forsey, 2016), despite the limited...
As the adverse effects of climate change intensify in a globalised context of substantial urban expansion, urban mitigation and adaptation measures are becoming increasingly imperative (Short & Farmer, 2021). In the context of surface water management, the 'sponge city' principle is gaining popularity, often in application of the Low Impact Development (LID) principle (Liu et al., 2017). The...
A key issue causing mental health problems among older adults is the lack of social engagement. For senior citizens living in urban areas, especially those residing in communities built before the 2000s, the only spaces for outdoor activities were sidewalks with no green features. These narrow outdoor spaces result in a lack of community engagement, which decreases the quality of life for both...
Urban public spaces play a vital role in shaping the physical and socio-economic environments of cities, significantly influencing residents' quality of life and the economic value of urban areas. While most studies on housing prices focus on objective factors such as location and structural characteristics, the impact of urban public space quality remains underexplored. Moreover, existing...
The present study, based in the city of Lisbon, Portugal, analyzes the phenomenon of temporary uses and the sharing practices of the urban fabric. Through meticulous mapping of urban practices, it unveils the intricate dynamics of the intermittent city, where uses and activities materialize in real-time. These uses and practices, when mapped, serve as a representation of the dynamic interplay...
In this paper/presentation, we want to share the journey of our collective research project "Critical Mapping for Municipalist Mobilization" (CMMM). As a practice-oriented research project, CMMM was designed to support civil society actors in their struggles for justโฏ societies and cities in the pursuit of profound political transformation. In their quest to change power relations, mobilisers...
Production of public space especially in a city center is a long-lasting process which needs to provide a balance between private and public sphere and space through the planning and urban design process. After the privatization has become prevalent, the publicity sense and acceptance have been changed dramatically in terms of the private profits and the public concept has lost its importance....
Contemporary urban planning policies increasingly focus on proximity-based planning, most notably, the 15-Minute City concept (15-m city). In this framework, it is argued for the development of mixed-use neighborhoods, in which most essential services such as groceries, schools, health care, and recreation are located within easy reach on foot or bike. Even though the 15-Minute City paradigm...
The construction of vibrant urban spaces is an important component of humanistic urban development, especially for China's first-tier cities in the context of stock renewal. In response to the lack of quantitative evaluation methods for the emotional attachment between people and the built environment in small-scale urban vitality spaces, this study proposes a new method to quantify the...
This research investigates the potential of flexible and inclusive urban design to enhance liveability and climate resilience in underserved urban environments, focusing on the case of Ramos Pool, Rio de Janeiro. Informal public spaces in areas with limited governance frequently face challenges of overdesign and neglect of socio-cultural contexts, leaving their adaptive potential untapped....
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, a significant number of South Korean immigrants and enterprises have moved to Qingdao, forming an economic and community network marked by distinct South Korean cultural characteristics. This phenomenon has resulted in a "parallel adaptation" model, which, while maintaining ethnic cultural boundaries, has hindered...
In cities where green and open spaces are scarce, these areas serve multifunctional roles. Through effective governance, they provide benefits such as water management, improved public health, and support for sustainable transport, making them essential components of green infrastructure (Addo-Bankas et al., 2024; Ellicott, 2016). Local governments play a key role in managing these spaces,...
Urban green spaces (UGS) enhance resident well-being, yet effective planning requires understanding the complex, often nonlinear relationships that shape park use, as subtle changes in perceived environments can significantly impact engagement. However, most research relies on linear models, constraining the exploration of these nuanced interactions, and primarily focuses on park-specific or...
Urban green spaces play a critical role in enhancing public health and well-being. While the relationship between green spaces and individual health status has been extensively studied, limited attention has been given to the structural pathways through which green spaces influence health, particularly the mediating role of social capital. This study addresses this gap by examining the...
Urban greening has emerged as a priority for Latin American cities in recent decades, serving as a strategy to foster more sustainable and resilient urban environments while mitigating environmental injustices (Breen et al., 2020). Local administrations have devoted substantial economic and political resources to implementing new green infrastructure projects. However, these efforts often...
Natural spaces are recognized as climate and environmental balancers for urban areas, becoming necessary to restore biodiversity and counter the effects of climate change (Maudsley & Wallsten, 2024; IPBES, 2019; IPCC 2022). Nature-based solutions (NbS) are an essential resource to guide the planning, design, and sustainable management of the cities of the future (UN, 2022). In Europe, the...
The contribution is framed within the framework of urban studies concerned with right to the city, co-production processes and alternative management models for public resources needed in territories targeted by necrocapitalist drifts and phenomena of urban exclusion and expulsion.
We present the first implementation phases of the Urban Living Lab Naples (ULL Naples) of the Erasmus+ PS-U-GO...
Public open and green spaces have been identified as being essential to the promotion of the well-being of urban areas and their communities (UN-Habitat, 2025). When integrated into public health-oriented urban planning strategies (WHO, 2020), they have been shown to be capable of mitigating spatial, environmental and health inequalities (UN-Habitat, 2023). The presence of an accessible...
In the context of high-density urbanization and post-pandemic mental health challenges, walkable urban spaces such as streets, plazas, and street corners are increasingly recognized as essential for physical and mental healing. However, public spaces in high-density urban areas often suffer from standardized design and fragmented functionality, limiting their ability to meet the deeper needs...
Against the backdrop of global sustainable development, China has proposed the concept of "Station-City Integration," aiming to promote the functional integration of cities and high-speed rail (HSR) hub areas, attract foot traffic, and create new urban vitality centers. As a sub-center of Shanghai, the Hongqiao Business District serves as a high-level urban public activity center.
However,...
As Australiaโs population ages, aligning with global demographic shifts, the proportion of older adults is projected to rise significantly, increasing from 15% in 2017 to 21โ23% by 2066 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2018). There is increasing recognition of the needs in understanding how the built environment (including transport) can support healthy ageing and address the needs of an...
In recent decades, minor historic centers in Lazio, a region in central Italy, have faced significant economic and social decline. Studies indicate that over 40% of these centers have experienced population decreases exceeding 30%, with nearly 50% of local commercial activities abandoned in certain areas (ISTAT, 2021). These trends, driven by suburban settlement preferences and the...
The importance of temporality, flexible adaptation and resilience in response to changing requirements within the built environment has never been greater. A cumulation of crises around changes in geopolitics, economic austerity and perhaps most significantly, the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic have given rise to changing demands for temporary, ad hoc, DIY, and occasional urban space...
Studentificationโthe social, cultural, and physical transformation of urban areas driven by the influx of student populationsโpresents opportunities and challenges for the cities that choose the path of student-centered urban development (Smith, 2005). The literature on studentification typically highlights how students stimulate the housing market in the neighborhoods where they cluster...
Since the 1990s, the rapid development of Chinaโs market economy and the emergence of mass society have profoundly transformed the character of urban public spaces. During this process, consumerist culture has gradually taken a dominant role, reshaping daily lifestyles and deeply influencing public imagination and spatial organization in cities. As consumer demand continues to rise and market...
Public spaces are often conceptualized through notions of accessibility, continuity, and structured use. However, the dynamics of urban life are equally shaped by interruptions, unexpected encounters, and shifts in rhythm. This paper examines passageways as a spatial and social phenomenon that disrupts urban continuity, generating alternative public interactions and micro-transformations in...
Problem Definition: The warming climate presents significant challenges to sustainable urban living, particularly regarding the use and comfort of public spaces. Urban areas face the heat island effect, intensifying thermal discomfort and driving up energy demand for cooling during heat waves. In this context, there is a critical need to explore how urban nature and open spaces can enhance...
This paper explores the evolving nature of Temporary Appropriation (TA) in Aucklandโs Queen Street by employing assemblage theory. Building on the concept of TA as an emergent phenomenon within urban landscapes, this study examines two distinct periodsโAugust 2018, before the COVID-19 lockdown and subsequent urban renovations, and August 2024. Utilising activity mapping techniques through...
For college students, the spatial environment in which they live and study plays a crucial role in shaping their daily experiences and overall development. The college campus, the surrounding areas such as the college town (a concept commonly seen in China where universities are often located in specific urban districts), and the broader city they reside in, represent different scales of space...
This research addresses the dynamic transformations and interventions in urban spaces, tackling urban, environmental, ecological, and social challenges. These challenges often limit the ability of urban residents to influence city planning and design decisions, underscoring the critical need for active civic participation. The concept of the right to the city advocates for residentsโ direct...
