Download
The First District-wide Assessment of Public Spaces in a Dense Urban Area, Jianghan, Wuhan, China
Share
Number of pages
80
Publication date
2017

The First District-wide Assessment of Public Spaces in a Dense Urban Area, Jianghan, Wuhan, China

The district-wide public space assessment in Jianghan district is the first public space inventory and assessment in the small but densely populated area, aimed to address the high rate of ageing population and shrinking in the district. The report promotes public space development as the spatial vehicle to deliver inclusive urbanization.

The public space assessment was conducted in thirteen (13) urban areas, namely: Hanxing, Tang jiadun, Changqing, Qangsong, Xinhua, Beihu, Shuita, Qianjin, Minyi, Hanchun, Minquan, Hualou and Minzu. The Wuhan Land use and Urban Spatial Planning Research Center (WLSP)  adopted and contextualized the approach of the UN Habitat's City-wide Public Space Inventory and Assessment to establish a data platform that allows the community to map their public spaces, take part in the analysis  and propose strategies.

The assessment starts with Wuhan city and Jianghan district general analysis, then provides a detailed investigation of the history and case of public spaces in Jianghan district. The report evaluates eleven aspects of the public space, which include, streets as public spaces, open public spaces, green public spaces and green areas, typology of open public spaces, public facilities, ownership and custodianship, accessibility and connectivity, proximity, comfort, safety, use and user aspects.

The findings are categorized into four broad areas, namely: public space safety, inclusiveness, accessibility and spatial distribution, which supported the development of policy recommendations and design guidelines for priority areas and public spaces for upgrading. The vision identified through community engagement includes protection of public spaces, network integration and diversity for a high quality, accessible, unique and diverse public space network. This assessment explored the possibility of bridging the existing gaps between the city planning structure and the inclusive practice.

Read in Chinese