Virtual Only | Track 1 | Session 2. Public Spaces

Community social capital is the collective social capital, which is formed by the community, and has various characteristics such as geography, sociality, and space. With high level of community social capital can effectively promote the development of a community, which forms bottom-up driving force of "sharing, co-policing and co-governance". High-density areas in China are facing problems such as land shortage, limited development, aging population, as well as deteriorating spatial quality. In the community. It is manifesed in the intensification of population mobility and the weakening of community sense, which results in a decline in the level of community social capital. This study conducts a qualitative analysis of community social capital from the background of high density in China, using the Grounded Theory to construct a theoretical model of spatial influencing factors, which affects community social capital. Then analyzing the causal impact path between spatial elements and community social capital. The research conducted semi-structured interviews with 32 residents in typical communities in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. Through three-level coding analysis of the collected data, we constructed a structure including individual differences, health status, acceptance of local culture, types of daily activities, and daily activities, location, shopping tendency, residential area type, community social capital, which is in total of 8 main categories or 43 specific sub-items of the built environment and community social capital subjective evaluation factor model. We found that 1) The elements of the built environment will potentially affect the choice of residents’ travel mode, and then affect the levels of various dimensions of community social capital by affecting the frequency of residents’ leisure and fitness activities, social interaction activities, and life activities in the community. Among them, the impact of social interaction activities is relatively. A number of well-built micro activity space in the community, which can promote outdoor activities for residents of multiple age groups, enhance community interaction, and enhance personal perception of community social capital; 2) Parks, squares, and supermarket facilities at the regional and above levels It can promote the improvement of community social capital of people under the age of 75, but has little effect on the elderly people over 75 years old, which is related to the individual's ability to travel independently and physical health; 3) Children who don’t have the ability to go out independently are becoming new driving force of social capital in community, for the demand for outdoor activities prompting their family members to go out with them. And with the establishment of children's friendship, it promotes the improvement of trust, reciprocity, social network and son on within the community; 4)The improvement of land mixed use and space quality, such as the enrichment of living facilities, public transportation system, outdoor activity facilities, and high-quality educational resources, can greatly reduce people’s dependence on virtual online shopping, which promotes maintenance activities in surrounding area, increases opportunities for social interaction, and creates comfortable and vibrant community atmosphere, enhancing the level of community social capital. Eventually, the paper explores the theoretical framework for further empirical research.

As the main public place for people's activities in China's mountainous cities, street space has shown some problems in recent years, such as the loss of space vitality and poor space quality, which has become an essential focus of urban renewal. From the perspective of perceptual phenomenology, this paper establishes a spatial cognitive framework of mountainous cities' street space from place construction to perceptual experience. Based on a case study of Shaanxi Road in Chongqing, this paper analyzes the spatial characteristics and perceptual experience of Shaanxi Road through field investigation, questionnaire and interview. It then puts forward the suggestions for improvement from continuing the spatial structure of street space, enhancing the integrity of the spatial interfaces strengthening the diversity of the use of street space, and improving the public participation. These renewal strategies are expected to provide a reference for the subsequent reconstruction of the vitality of street space in mountainous cities.

The Songhu Railway was an important freight railway in Shanghai in modern times, and parts of it have been out of service since 2000. Over the years, some of the abandoned sections have been developed into industrial parks, while others have remained abandoned. In 2021, the Shanghai Municipal Government decided to rejuvenate the abandoned sections of the railway. In this case, a section under a viaduct located in Hongkou District, Jiangwan Town community was selected for regeneration. During the survey phase, we found the following problems through field measurements and interviews：Firstly, the current section design of the bypass on the east, which is an important link between the two main roads , does not meet the needs of vehicular traffic and walking, and the lack of pavement can not guarantee pedestrian safety. Secondly, the chaotic spatial organisation and unreasonable functional setting have left the site devoid of vitality, with no daily space for the bearby residents and the white-collar workers . Thirdly, the initial design of the industrial park did not fully consider the cultural significance of the Songhu Railway , resulting in a lack of cultural identity manifestation within the site Based on the above analysis, this case redesigned the site in the following ways: firstly, by adjusting the section of the bypass to form a continuous pedestrian walkway and designing a fitness path under the viaduct that runs through the 18 bridge holes of the site. Secondly, the unused space at the back of the site is divided into three functional areas which are sports and leisure, informal offices and railway landscape with corresponding facilities. Considering the ownership and management of the land under the viaduct, we made facilities more flexible and removable with safety. At the same time, we have taken into account the needs of the disadvantaged groups such as pregnant women and people with disabilities by designing ramps and handrails at the different entrances and adding barrier-free design such as guide facilities for the blind in the venue. Finally, in order to reflect the cultural significance of the Songhu Railway to the site, we have incorporated railway elements into the site through lighting, signage and display pavilions, thus enhancing the cultural significance of the design.

Walking is critical to the healthy development of cities and people's health. It is important that the factors which influence citizens' choice of walking or jogging spaces, as well as how to build a walkable city, should be thoroughly investigated. In this study, Hangzhou of China is selected as the research area. The data is collected about Hangzhou citizens' jogging routes, points of interest (POI), road network, parks, and rivers. The POI data includes facilities of business, finance, life, transportation, office, culture, and so on. The accessibility of urban green space, rivers, and various facilities is determined using network analysis based on the road network, and the factors influencing jogging space selection are investigated using random forest and linear regression. The result is found that the accessibility of various facilities has varying effects on jogging space selection, with parks and rivers being positively correlated with jogging space selection.

At the end of 2019, the outbreak of COVID-19 affected people's physical and mental health. Community public space, as an important spatial carrier to meet residents' activities and emotional needs, has an extremely important impact on people's physical and mental health. This paper adopts the PSPL research method to investigate and evaluate the public space and residents' behavior in Harbin Chunming community, divides the public space environment elements of the old community into three levels: residential level, group level and residential building level, and conducts correlation analysis on the satisfaction of each level element and residents' behavior and activity characteristics to explore the solution strategy of the main contradiction of residents' behavior-space mismatch in the old community. The results of the study show that residents' activity spaces exhibit safety, proximity and spontaneity, and there are significant differences in activity spaces and types of activities among different age groups; further analyzing 20 environmental elements related to behavioral activities using correlation tests, the study proposes a progressive renovation strategy for community public spaces from a two-dimensional perspective of demand and satisfaction. The study provides a new perspective for the renovation of old communities, and explores the renovation paths for community quality improvement under the behavior-environment correlation, and its findings have certain guiding significance for the practical projects of old community renovation.

1."JisuanXincun" in the livable neighborhood. Yaofangmen livable neighborhood is close to Nanjing East Railway Station. Most of the residents here are employees of state-owned railway or petrochemical enterprises, with collective memory of the unit compound. Thus this neighborhood shows obvious characteristics of an acquaintance society. "JisuanXincun" is an old family-living community of state-owned enterprises in this neighborhood. In 2019, taking the upgrading of infrastructure in this community as a chance, Yaohua Sub-district Office, worked as the leading party, strived to improve the overall environment of the neighborhood through the renewal of "JisuanXincun", and strived to make a provincial implementation model. 2.Creating public space at the entrance of JinsuanXincun. 2.1Sub-district Office overall utilized the stock spaces: excavation, transformation and opening of corner space with EQUALITY. After being authorized for overall utilization of the corner land in JinsuanXincun, Sub-district Office found it possible to use corner lands and walls near the entrance, which were exposed after pipeline dismantling. So efforts were made to transform the originally dilapidated entrance into characteristic public space to serve the entire neighborhood. This approach of injecting public service functions into the corner space at the boundary of the community, and opening it to the public, reflects the equal reuse of stock spaces in the neighborhood. 2.2 Local residents participated in the whole process: popular design, functional compounding and cultural reproduction with INCLUSIVENESS. The Sub-district Office and Jiangsu Provincial Planning and Design Group jointly organized rich activities for locals, like “oral history of old Yaohua", "network needs research", "livable summer design workshop", "designers in campus”, “neighborhood volunteer service”, etc. From planning and design to use and maintenance, local residents participated in the whole process autonomously, and their diverse needs are understood, accommodated, absorbed, and realized. Joint efforts generated the "popular design" with bright community characteristics: "Container public space" with the memory of rail freight, which is a combination of several containers at the boundary of the living area, integrating various functions for all-age residents, and finally becoming a place to remember the past in this acquaintance neighborhood. 2.3“Red property” executed long-term management: local employment, flexible management, and experience publicity for PUBLIC WELFARE. The neighborhood adopted the public-welfare property enterprise trusteeship model, and established “Red property” under Yaohua Sub-District Office. “Red property” has played an important role in shaping livable environment, implementing public services, and realizing long-term governance under the Sub-district Office. Most of the “Red property” employees are local residents. Nearby local employment promotes stability of the neighborhood, and the mentality of maintaining homestead promotes self-driving governance. Meanwhile, “Red property” implemented flexible management of neighborhood public spaces: For example, during the epidemic, "Containers" were temporarily used as nucleic acid detection points, after the epidemic, the public service functions were resumed. Yaofangmen's experience in shaping a livable neighborhood combining "design + governance" for public welfare has been reported by mainstream media at home and abroad for many times, forming extensive social influences. 3. Thinking and Inspiration. 3.1Under China's conditions of gated community, stock space resources of old communities have huge potential for excavation, transformation and opening to provide equal, inclusive and local public spaces for the whole neighborhood. 3.2 As Jiangsu has entered stable urbanization, the grand planning model of rapid urbanization needs to be transformed into "small and beautiful" community renewal; planners also need to shift from blueprint drawers to companion consultants. 3.3 Local residents are decisive for communities’ long-term vitality and self-renewal. “Manage own affairs", they are not only users, but also decision-makers, participants, maintainers, and operators.

As urbanization and aging progress, older adults are at greater risk for mental and physical illness. In recent years, researches have shown that exposing older adults to urban public space can be beneficial to their health. To find a way to improve the psychological benefits of the elderly, this paper study the relationship between the urban public space environment and their psychological benefits. There were 1093 older adults (56.3% males) aged 60-94 years (M=70.0; SD=7.57) examined in this study. Based on a comparative study, this paper concludes that the benefits of urban public space on the elderly differ significantly from place to place, and that the effects are seasonal. It is best to have closed areas surrounded by tall trees in the winter and spring. The best time for open areas with tall trees and shrubs is in the fall and summer. In addition, this paper examines the relationship between the environment condition and psychological benefits in urban public space. Overall, in the spring, vegetation/greenery was the most effective method for improving the psychological recovery of the elderly (ROS score increased by 0.465). During the winter, vegetation/greenery, seats, fitness equipment, crowds, and recreational activities all significantly affected the psychological benefits of the elderly, and recreational activities is the most effective (ROS score increased by 0.295). In autumn, the sky, seats, fitness equipment, crowds and recreational activities significantly impact the psychological benefits of the elderly, and sky has the greatest effect on psychological benefits in the elderly (ROS score difference of 0.454). In summer, environmental conditions did not significantly influence on psychological benefits in urban public space.

The city of Istanbul is in a continuous transformation along with social and economic restructuring in terms of the reproduction of urban space. In addition to its geographic and demographic structural features, the intensity of international connections accelerates the quality and the quantity of urban transformation and keeps the city in a pioneering position in comparison with the rest of the cities in Turkey. In this study, urban transformation of Ayazağa Neighbourhood, which is an old industrial zone located close to the central business area of Istanbul, is discussed within the framework of spatial and social restructuring. The research is aimed to determine the factors that trigger the spatial reproduction of the area that forms an urban threshold between the northern urban boundaries and forest areas of Istanbul. The spatial and social fragmentation are examined from various aspects through the data derived from observation and registration of the change in physical built environment and also daily life of its inhabitants. METHODOLOGY Ayazağa Neighbourhood and its surrounding areas are inhabited by mostly industrial workers for the last 60 years. Today, with the emergence of new housing investments, the upper-income group has started to move in. Thus, on the one hand, the old existing living areas and the new housing settlements coexist in the same urban fabric and this situation allows different demographic profiles to live in the same quarter. Sharp socio-spatial boundaries occur between these areas and it creates unequal conditions for accessing even the most basic urban services for the public. Within the study, Ayazağa Neighbourhood and its surrounding area are examined by qualitative and quantitive research methods. Following the literature review and data research of the site, a field study has been conducted by semi-structured in-depth interviews with predetermined 30 residents, having different backgrounds. After decoding the interviews, discourses of the residents are determined with the grounded theory method, analysed over three different main categories that are occurred and combined with the former data on-site. RESULTS 1. The first category, ‘Open Spaces' is discussed in relation with the physical structure of the region and the daily life experiences of the individuals on site by focusing on the changes in the natural environment, the use of public space, and physical boundaries. 2. The second category, 'New Spatial Organizations' addresses big-scaled spatial interventions on site that took place after 2000. As a frequently encountered urban condition all over the city, it is questioned whether the urban facilities of mega-projects are accessible for public or not. 3.The last category of 'Socio-Economic Differences' refers to the social relations and segregation of individuals in spatial terms. Within the concepts such as neighborhood, citizenship, and social fragmentation between individuals who live in different types of housing settlements in the same neighbourhood, it is questioned how and to what extent spatial conditions affect individual’s sense of belonging to the urban environment. CONCLUSION In the current period that we live in, urban space is constantly being reproduced and each urban intervention causes different spatial, social, and economic outcomes. In this framework, it is found critical to comprehend urban interventions not only as a physical change in the urban environment but also to examine their role in social, economic and spatial change and to understand its consequences in a broader urban context. As a result, it is concluded that while the spatial restructuring in the area creates a heterogeneous spatial construct within the urban environment, it also causes fragmentation within the society and segregation between individuals based on their socio-economic status.

This research seeks to broaden the understanding of the relationship between social capital and urban resilient neighbourhoods that results from the collaborative engagement of citizens in the creation of public art. This study particularly focuses on those areas that have already been immunocompromised by factors, such as violence, political disorder, financial hardships, etc. For the purpose of this paper, attention will be placed on the civic engagements in the town of Lyari in Karachi, Pakistan and a comparison will be drawn across the Imagina Madrid program, an initiative of the Madrid City Council's Department of Culture. A qualitative meta-analysis of the secondary data available on Lyari and Madrid will be carried out and it will take the form of comparative analysis informed by the exploration of the aforementioned communities, both, in terms of the processes and the context. Drawing on social capital’s theoretical basis as its framework, particularly its network-based approach and within that the concept of bonding social capital, this paper recognizes public art as an antecedent to the urban resilience of neighbourhoods and communities. By examining the effects of the presence of open cultural infrastructures and the involvement of citizens in advocacy initiatives through participatory artistic expression in Lyari and Madrid, this study explores the intersection of public art, urban resilience, and social capital. This study has twofold aims: to identify the role of public art in augmenting social capital and laying down the framework for urban resilience; and to compare participatory art approaches in Madrid and Lyari in light of their context, history, and message strategies to recognize their adaptive capacities and the extent of social capital that binds the communities together for social action movements. The concept of urban regeneration will be a central point, which is contingent on the extent of social capital that exists within a community of practice. The qualitative meta-analysis reveals that social cohesion and trust unfold from people's engagement with public art, resulting in the acceleration of social capital that is ultimately tied to building community resilience. Contemporary modes of civic engagement and participation in urban processes are an efficient way to generate a sense of belonging, especially in the co-creation of public art in shared spaces.

The livability of a neighborhood is directly associated with the quality of public space (QPS) of that urban area. While QPS is ascribed to many factors, considering the degree of characteristics of the quality of physical environment connectivity on livability and the role of recreation in the psychological wellbeing of individuals are the primary attributes of QPS. Alike in many historical cities in Asia, the Shitalakshya waterfront of Narayanganj and neighboring architectural heritage areas are integral elements of its urban fabric. Waterfront areas are a crucial mode of healthy living environment and recreational benefit for the urban dwellers. Simultaneously, improvised urban planning & modern transportation system have driven back and degraded the riverfront area. However, unplanned land-use zoning, transportation problem, and inconsistent intrusion hamper connectivity toward waterfronts, which turns the river edge into the neglected fringe of the city. The role of community engagement, in this case, is also overlooked. Thus, the cities of urban settlements face challenges in creating quality public spaces incorporating adjacent river and river-edge heritages, which has initiated an opportunity to rethink the waterfront. By comparing urban waterfronts in the study context and through empirical studies, land-use-based GIS mapping analysis, field survey, and photographic citations, the research investigates how the relationship among river-edge, adjacent heritage structures, and city fabric can contribute to developing the quality of waterfront public space. Later design-based outcome shows that the testimony of heritage structures, accessibility, visibility, amenities, user group, and functions of urban blue and green areas are directly and delicately connected with the quality of urban water edge, leading to a healthy living environment for a city. The research is argued that the city fabric and waterscape, entailing history, could create a tool to retrieve the quality of the urban environment alongside the water edge of the city.

The research investigated the process and outcomes of an ongoing project, “Den Grønne Rute”: a network of recreational rooms to be implemented throughout a former vulnerable neighborhood: Trekanten, in the city of Holstebro in Denmark. The aim of the project is to better integrate Trekanten in the city and which initiated reflections upon the (dis)connection and the integration in relation to urban planning and city management, as well as the extent to which the project considers diversity since Holstebro is a growing multicultural city. With this research, it was first verified if Trekanten is splintered from Holstebro city, and secondly if planning for diversity, by engaging people in the process via place-making approaches, can help redress the disconnection between the neighborhood and the rest of the city. More specifically, the paper aims at exploring the role of place-making “Den Grønne Rute” in Trekanten in promoting planning for diversity and reassembling the splintering in the city. The theoretical and conceptual framework served to analyze the relationship between the splintering urbanism concept and the community involvement’s role for an inclusive process. The field study examines the detachment between Trekanten and Holstebro and the extent to which the project can overcome the disconnection. Methodologically a mix-methods approach was adopted where two semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and an online survey were conducted. Contrary to prior assumptions, the results showed that not only is Trekanten splintered from the city, but also the city is greatly disconnected from Trekanten, and hence Holstebro is a splintered city. The surprise was that Trekanten is moreover inner-splintered. The splintering urbanism accordingly has different dimensions. Even though the project’s design seemed to incorporate diverse ages and groups of people, its process lacks an understanding of the diversity’s relevance in promoting inclusiveness. In fact, the analysis revealed socio-cultural and psychological splintering. Since place-making, as a collaborative approach in planning, is itself an expression of diversity (since it brings differences into play), reconsidering diversity within the process by engaging people at the early sages of planning was recommended. Another suggestion was not to limit the project to a destination but more as an experience to remember and a story to tell. Only by bringing people together in re-imagining the place, can Trekanten reassemble with Holstebro and vice versa. The aim with the research was to add a new perspective to the splintering urbanism and planning for diversity so to advance place-making as an approach in promoting the latter and redressing the former.