Identify and Elucidating Urban Village Essentials Through Remodeling
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2020 24th International Conference Information Visualisation (IV) Identify and Elucidating Urban Village Essentials Through Remodeling and Visualising a Social Housing Prototype in Guangzhou for Sustainable Residential Development in China Shiran Geng Hing-Wah Chau Se Yan College of Engineering and Science College of Engineering and Science Faculty of Architecture, Building and Victoria University Victoria University Planning Melbourne, Australia Melbourne, Australia The University of Melbourne [email protected] [email protected] Melbourne, Australia theseyan@gmail .com Abstract— There is currently an urban housing or commercial use, but it was quite difficult to do so due to crisis affecting low-income people across China. Due to the regulations on land ownership [1, 2]. I In some cases, the need for high-density public housing, it is becoming farmers were able to form collectives and retain land increasingly common to demolish urban villages in order ownership for developing their own dwellings. to build denser and higher social housing towers for low- Urban villages attract low-income migrants, young income people. However, in addressing the need for new workers and fresh graduates to live. The reason for their housing for low-income people, the social and cultural popularity is not only because of the affordable rents but aspects of urban villages should be duly considered. also because of their convenient locations in the city centre. This paper aims to identify and elucidate the It is also worth looking at the social and cultural aspects of salient features of urban villages based on case studies in urban villages. They are organic, unique, self-supporting Guangzhou and then use these to formulate sustainable and diverse. Some of these villages have become art strategies for new housing typologies in contrast with the districts and mixed-use zones with thriving economic conventional development approach of having activities for people working and living in the same residential towers. Indeed, dense mid-rise dwellings that neighbourhood and community [3]. retain the mixed functions of communal, social and In order to understand the history behind the commercial gathering spaces as found in the urban formation of urban villages and the current existential villages would foster the formation of communal living threats they face, it is vital to understand the household environments among residents. After identifying the registration (hukou) system in China and how it relates to salient features of urban villages, this paper proposes a the urbanisation process. There are three types of household new social housing typology that is visualised through registration in China. Before 2014, Chinese citizenships computer 3D modelling and rendering. were strictly classified as non-rural and rural. It was This research acknowledges the pressing generally difficult for a rural hukou holder to obtain a city housing needs in China and explore an alternative hukou [4]. Since 2014, rural hukou holders have been housing approach that is environmentally, socially and enabled to obtain urban hukou if relevant requirements are economically sustainable, which addresses housing needs satisfied. As the number of urban hukou holders increases, with due consideration of the social and cultural site more social housing units are required to be provided by the contexts. government. [5]. New social housing projects are proposed to be built at the existing urban villages, but once the demolition of urban villages starts, people who cannot Keywords— visualisation, urban village, Guangzhou, afford to live elsewhere will eventually be forced to leave social housing, sustainable housing the city. With regards to the future of urban villages, NTRODUCTION I. I developers and conservation groups hold contradicting Amid extensive urbanisation in China, urban villages views. Some researchers and architects recognise the (chengzhongcun) were formed because of the transformation social-cultural significance of the urban villages, which are of farmlands into mid-rise, high-density residential blocks, well-established communities and neighbourhoods [2]. In which accommodate mostly low-income migrant workers. contrast, developers and governments in China are eager to These informally settled residential areas were developed demolish existing urban villages to make way for newer, from the former village land, thus being known as ‘urban denser, glittering high-rises [6]. The aim of this study is to villages.’ learn from urban villages for developing an alternative One of the most rapidly developed regions in China sustainable development model. in the last two decades was the Pearl River Delta. As Guangzhou city expanded, the government attempted to occupy farmlands and convert them into either residential 978-1-7281-9134-8/20/$31.00 ©2020 IEEE 609 DOI 10.1109/IV51561.2020.00106 II. IDENTIFICATION OF ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS AND ELUCIDATE SALIENT FEATURES OF URBAN VILLAGES C. Community Formation with Sense of Belonging In order to understand and learn from urban villages, Urban villages in China may be described as it is essential to identify their key elements in terms of informal settlements by some researchers [7], but social spatial flexibility, street-level interactions and community benefits that urban villages offer should not be ignored. In formation leading to a shared sense of belonging among urban villages, communities can often be easily formed residents. based on either provincial kinship or regional cultural A. Spatial Flexibility background of migrants who are the majority of residents. Most of the urban village communities are mixed They prefer to live in close proximity to one another for used. Most commercial activities take place on the ground social bonding and mutual support. Urban villages provide and first levels, such as shops, motel receptions, community a home-like environment with a sense of belonging for centres. These spaces are highly flexible and responsive to residents from various demographical backgrounds at different user groups and events that are spontaneous or affordable rents [8]. The high accessibility of public and organic. For instance, a shop on the ground level can be social services and proximity to city-centre locations, used as a restaurant in the daytime and converted into a workplaces and other community activities are all crucial social hotspot for residents to gather at night. Some open factors for urban village residents. These residents living in spaces may function as a vegetable market during afternoon the urban villages make up the labour market of Chinese and then turn into a busy public square at night. front-tier cities and often cannot afford to pay higher rents elsewhere close to the city centre. Residential and commercial units often co-exist Urban villages are often communities without within the same building. Residential units often occupy physical boundaries or gates. This contrasts with most new the second level and above. Removable walls are utilised to residential developments in China, which are almost all maximise flexibility and interchangeability of space. There gated communities. Compared with these gated is an inherent lack of regulatory mechanism for any communities, urban villages are more open and diverse, development within the urban villages without applying which foster the formation of various communal activities planning or building permits For example, a 40 m2 and integration. A gated community often only provides residential unit is not confined within a single level and can residents with some basic services within the gate, but not be converted from a studio flat to an one-bedroom or even self-sustaining, so residents need to go out to work and a two-bedroom apartment. This level of flexibility is study. However, urban villages are mixed-use in nature, essential in sustainable development. As families grow and providing education, medical, retail, leisure and religious then shrink over time, current residential design can learn activities. Some researchers consider urban villages as from urban village in how to respond to changes with ‘supplementary’ spaces to surrounding urban development spatial flexibility at a minimal cost. because they offer a variety of affordable daily necessities, products and services to residents and communities around, including neighbouring gated communities [9]. B. Street-level Interaction Research by Khder et al. investigated the impact of physical elements of streets on walkability [10]. Green III. REMODELLING SOCIAL HOUSING PROTOTYPE IN GUANGZHOU USING A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH space, open space and other features of streets have a significant impact on residents’ walking route choices and After identifying the essential elements of urban interactions in different areas. villages, we explore alternative prototype for sustainable In urban villages, most residents choose street-level social housing in China. Salient features of urban villages walking due to the following reasons. Firstly, walking is will also be examined in this new housing prototype. favourable because roads within urban villages are often A. Response to the Climatic Conditions of Guangzhou extremely narrow due to massive housing expansion and reconstruction. Secondly, most urban villages have a Due to unregulated urban planning, buildings in diverse range of public services and commercial shops on urban villages are often closely packed. The short distance the ground level,