Urban Open Space Design for the Chinese Floating Population Community: Planning and Site Design Guidelines

Chinese floating population residents' underprivileged living status and intensified social tension are becoming the two major issues inside their community living settlements. The thesis research holds the position that urban open space can enhance Chinese floating population's quality of life and also contribute to the social capital within their living settlement. It is critical to create the open space system that brings great social and health benefits to the group. Literature reviews reveal floating population's characteristics such as existing and potential leisure activities and leisure places. Contemporary thinking on urban open space qualities, benefits and typologies were reviewed to determine which types of open space are of value to this population. Specific qualities and corresponding benefits of floating population community open spaces, which are closely related to the group's characteristics, are identified. Findings from the literature reviews were used to develop open space design guidelines specific to government sponsored floating population settlement areas. Planning and site design level design guidelines address social and health benefits for the floating population residents. Types of open space and their spatial distributions are identified at the planning level. At the site design level, place-based design guidelines were developed for three major open space categories: the daily use spaces around dwelling units, the streets, and the plaza/squares. Under each category, design strategies were developed to promote desirable open space qualities inside the floating population settlement area, and descriptive design objectives are proposed to achieve these qualities. The design guidelines connect the group's demographic, leisure and work characteristics to open space typologies, qualities and respective benefits, and provide recommendations for the open space design of Chinese floating population community. These design guidelines offer planners and site designers a new tool to guide planning and site design decisions of floating population community open space.