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Table of Content

    Volume 0 Issue 8
    31 August 2023
      Human Settlements
    • PEI Lidong, ZHAO Xiaolong, WANG Yuqin
      2023, 0(8):  1-11.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2023.08.001
      Abstract    PDF ( )  
      A therapeutic landscape refers to a place and its surroundings that are beneficial to restore and maintain the physical, mental health, and happiness of people. The health benefits of the therapeutic landscape are fully demonstrated and widely recognized. Although the concept of therapeutic landscape has become more prominent in the contemporary era, the use of landscape to promote health has been practiced since ancient times. There are related ideas of landscape-based treatment in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, and Ancient China. The origins and evolution of the landscape-based treatment idea are inextricably linked to the transformation of medical ideas and the development of hospital architecture. This study reviewed the development of the therapeutic landscape in hospitals in the UK and summarized four major development stages according to major historical events, socio-economic and scientific development, humanistic trends, medical philosophy and perceptions, and other driving factors. (1) From B.C. to the Renaissance: the passive healing stage based on natural elements. This marked the beginning and initial expansion of the therapeutic landscape. In this stage, people began to focus on the health recovery effects of the primary natural environment and gradually expanded to the cloister gardens of monasteries. As the mechanical medicine model ignored the role of spiritual comfort and many monasteries closed due to religious reform, the therapeutic landscape encountered a downturn period. (2) From the Renaissance to the first half of the 19th century: the proactive healing stage with agricultural and pastoral labor intervention. In this stage, people began to pay attention to the beautiful natural landscape environment as a response to "Pastoralism." Based on the "moral therapy" of the lunatic asylum, the development of therapeutic landscape in hospitals began to promote agricultural and pastoral labor activities, and provided planting and feeding training to mental patients. The extensive natural environment in suburbs was divided into several functional zones, including crop planting, livestock cultivation, and manual labor zones as the therapeutic landscape of the lunatic asylum. However, with the emergence of experimental medicine, medical care shifted attention to the development of medical technology, and the capital investment in landscape environment construction decreased gradually. (3) From the mid-19th century to the first half of the 20th century: the overall healing stage dominated by the physical environment. The British Industrial Revolution brought "urban diseases," and policy reforms by enlightened politicians emphasized the importance of a quality landscape environment. Due to nursing reform, high-tech materials, and the concept of the "idyllic city," hospitals began to pay attention to physical indicators, including ventilation, light, air temperature, etc. Moreover, the landscape models, such as "wide-hall hospital enclosed courtyard," "winter garden," and "garden hospital," were formed to promote comprehensive healing from physical, psychological and social aspects. As the "germ theory" denied the necessity of environmental ventilation and hospitals began to expand and concentrate, the therapeutic landscape lost its place again. (4) From the mid-20th century to the present: the refined healing stage based on multiple theories. In this stage, the interdisciplinary studies on medicine, botany, and landscape architecture became deeper and more refined. The health benefits of therapeutic landscapes were fully confirmed by theoretical studies and practices. Fine division of audiences was carried out, and perception methods were expanded continuously, accompanied by increasing diversified treatment modes. The therapeutic landscape saw unprecedented prosperity. Based on the above development contexts and characteristics, the healthcare concept based on the therapeutic landscape in hospitals in the UK changed from being one-dimensional to multi-dimensional, and audiences changed from generalization to specific groups, and then to refined division. Landscape elements generally expanded from "tangible traditional landscape elements" to "intangible physical environmental elements." Meanwhile, the development from single perception to multiple perceptions was triggered. The healing behavior patterns presented an expansion trend from "passive acceptance" to "active engagement" and from individuals to groups. This study is to provide beneficial references to the construction of the therapeutic landscape in hospitals under the "Healthy China" strategy.

    • WANG Chenggang, WEI Zongcai, ZHANG Qianying, HUANG Xin
      2023, 0(8):  12-22.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2023.08.002
      Abstract    PDF ( )  
      Both The Implementation of New-type Urbanization during the 14th Five-Year Plan and the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China propose new requirements for researching and practicing urban public service facility planning. This study reviewed the literature on urban public service facilities at home and abroad since the beginning of the 21st Century in Chinese and English. Papers published in core journals which were downloaded from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Web of Science, were reviewed through an econometric analysis using CiteSpace software. Research progresses, research hotspots and trends were presented in phased maps. Furthermore, research contents about public service facilities in China and foreign countries were summarized and extracted according to hotspot keywords. The relevant research development characteristics and problems were disclosed, and a development direction for urban public service facilities in the future was proposed. Research results demonstrated that research on public service facilities in China and foreign countries since the beginning of the 21st century can be divided into three stages: beginning stage (2000~2005), rising stage (2006~2013) and development stage (2014~). The research results increased continuously. Specifically, the quantity of research papers in China increased more slowly than in foreign countries. There were few local and international studies in the beginning stage, and the research directions were relatively dispersed. In the rising stage, the number of relevant studies increased at a stable rate. Foreign studies began to apply the spatial analytical method to the setting of public service facilities. Studies in China discussed the equalization of public service facility layout under the policy background of equitable access to basic public services and urban-rural integrated development. Relevant studies achieved rapid growth at home and abroad in the development stage. Faced with an intensifying gap between the rich and the poor in Western countries, studies in foreign countries focus on environmental fairness and public participation, while studies in China emphasize all-round optimization of utility evaluation, configuration, and management of public service facilities. Existing research results of public service facilities in China and foreign countries can be summarized into three aspects: spatial layout, policy and management, and utility evaluation. Research results concerning the spatial layout of public service facilities used social equity and spatial equity as an important principle of configuration. Studies on the configuration method mainly focus on optimizing the theoretical model for location selection. In studies concerning public service facility management, scholars emphasize the importance of determining management subjects and introducing social power and market mechanism to realize industrialization. Studies on utility evaluation of public service facilities are mainly divided into subjective and objective utility evaluation. Subjective utility involves residents' needs and satisfaction degree as per public service facilities. Objective utility mainly covers accessibility measurement and analysis of influencing factors. Based on the review of research content, studies on public service facilities have a problem in that local innovation of theory has to be strengthened. The scientificity and applicability of research methods still have to be improved. Moreover, standards of indexes, reasonability of their weights, and data acquisition systems still have to be optimized. Associations of studies on public service facilities from perspectives of different subjects still have to be further strengthened. Future research could focus on three aspects. Firstly, future studies can further enhance local theoretical discussions based on practice in China. Secondly, the scientificity and applicability of urban public service facility configuration methods shall be further discussed using comprehensive multi-source data. Finally, it shall strengthen diversity of disciplinary perspectives and perfect the theoretical frame system to study public service facilities. Research conclusions can provide references to the planning and design of urban public service facilities in China, and offer research support for the implementation of the national new urbanization strategy.
    • HE Qixiao, Yang Lijuan
      2023, 0(8):  23-33.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2023.08.003
      Abstract    PDF ( )  
      Faced with changes in modern lifestyle, increasing crowd pressure, and the rising prevalence of mental disorders, it has become important for studies on architecture and urban and rural planning to create spaces and places for urban residents to actively release pressure. This is from the perspective of improving the urban environment. The main theoretical basis stems from Camplan and his wife's attention restoration theory (ART). This theory deems that some environments can encourage people to concentrate their attention, block the spread of negative emotions, and restore a balance from psychological fatigue and stress interference disorder. Among them, the restorative environment, dominated by the natural environment, significantly impacts mental stress relief. With the deepening studies on restorative environments in foreign countries, we discover that the environment with restorative functions is not limited to the natural environment or urban green space, but also involves the daily life places where people work and study, including churches, zoos, museums, and cemeteries, etc. On the contrary, relevant studies in China have just started, and still focus on the natural environment, involving the quantitative meta-analysis of foreign literature, as well as building and summarizing frames based on the practical situation in China. Nevertheless, there are few explorations of other types of restorative environments.
        Memorial space is a place for the spirit to carry on and inherit history through material construction. Space has special significance to the psychological cognition of people since it is endowed with profound spiritual connotations. 
        People's traditional culture and habit of offering sacrifices to their deceased and heroes have endowed memorial spaces, such as city memorial squares, with the potential effect of healing interviewees' souls and relieving their pressure. This is highly similar to the functions of restorative environments dominated by the natural environment. It is necessary to explore whether the memorial space is a potential restorative environment for modern urban residents from the academic trend perspective of expanding restorative environmental types, the practical needs of searching for ways to positively relieve pressure, and the recognition of the spiritual restorative characterization of memorial spaces. 
        One hundred and six visitors in three memorial squares (People's Square, Gele Mountain Hongyan Soul Square, and Hongyan Village Square) in Chongqing were invited to participate in the evaluation of the square environment. Keywords matching four features (e.g., charm, escape, consistency and scope) of the restorative environment in the interview information were extracted by combining thematic analysis (TA) of qualitative research and sensory restorative scale (PRS). Results showed that there were 11 types of keywords encoded by 350 times matching with charm, nine types of keywords encoded by 222 times matching with escape, five types of keywords encoded by 199 times matching with consistency, and five types of keywords encoded by 192 times matching with scope. Based on this, eight types of environmental elements that develop the restorative functions of memorial squares were summarized by combining the environmental classification technique (PSD) of the sensory perception dimension, including nature, culture, safety, tranquility, history, ceremony, broad vision, and multiple facilities. These eight types of environmental elements cover high-frequency keywords matching the four feature types of memorial squares and restorative environments. Furthermore, a potential spatial component framework of eight types of environmental elements was interpreted. Specifically, the spatial components of the charm dimension are influenced by nature and cultural elements in the environment, such as lawns, flowers, large arboreal plants, and fine bonsai, as well as stone landscaping and sculpture. The spatial components of the escape dimension are influenced by safety, tranquility, and historical elements, such as peaceful lake bodies, quiet mountain barriers, and ancient architectures like ancient monuments, temples, and towers. The spatial components of the consistency dimension are represented as ritual elements, including axes, matrices, and paving. This is also the innate superiority of memorial space. 
        The spatial components of the scope dimension involve the elements of broad vision and multiple facilities, including the landscape platform, such as the terraced, high table, and pick structure, as well as the facility components, such as seats and activity equipment that provide various types of interaction activities.
    • GU Xueping, PENG Changxin
      2023, 0(8):  34-41.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2023.08.004
      Abstract    PDF ( )  
      Thirteen Factories was located along the Pearl River in the west of Canton City. It was the core of China's foreign trade before the Opium War. From the 18th century to the mid-19th century, Thirteen Factories experienced four development stages. 1) Before 1760, the factories were scattered on the streets along the river, with significant local warehouse characteristics. Swedish Factory was the pioneer of westernization in Thirteen Factories. For space organization, it adopted a great corridor that ran through the whole structure rather than the ritual halls on the central axis. A few Western architectural elements were introduced into the façade design of buildings. 2) After 1760, new foreign merchant management rules of the Qing Dynasty government promoted the transformation of urban space, and a simple "factory area" emerged on the bank of Pearl River. Spanish Factory contributed a mature renovation model with improved traffic organization, explicit public and private zones, as well as an excellent living environment. The factory building groups completed the "Westernized" facades of the Palladio style. 3) After 1822, the stable space structure of Thirteen Factories was broken. New China Street and Leuenhing Street were developed, thus decreasing factories from 17 to 13. The inner space of factories also developed into the intensive structure. 4) After 1840, the development of Thirteen Factories reached the peak state, and all kinds of factory types were integrated. However, Thirteen Factories finally disappeared in the Second Opium War. Due to the special trade status of the Canton Port, Thirteen Factories was the intersection center of politics, economics, and culture between China and foreign countries. The development evolution of factory buildings reflected the mutual influences of the Eastern and Western building culture. The "Westernization" of Thirteen Factories was based on the space of the local warehouse. Some Western architectural patterns were transferred to the Canton factories, with the spatial reconstruction of functions. In this process, the spatial organization of Thirteen Factories was reshaped through commercial activities: the ground floor was used as the transportation and storage space. The front and back spaces were connected by an arched corridor. The second floor was used as the working and living space. Changes in space control of different groups profoundly influenced the rebuilding of factories. For instance, enforcing new management regulations on foreigners promoted the formation of factory areas. The emergence of individual foreign traders facilitated the intensive development of factories. Western merchants promoted the reconstruction of Thirteen Factories to the summit after they got the lease of rented lands. Thirteen Factories disappeared because some sites were burned by the Anglo-French Allied Forces. All of these phenomena demonstrated the power of factory reconstruction transferred from Chinese merchants to Western merchants. Therefore, the rise and fall of Thirteen Factories reflect the centennial development of Canton Trade and is the epitome of urban transitions in modern times.

    • Research on Design
    • LIU Song, LI Yilin, XIE Wanyun
      2023, 0(8):  42-50.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2023.08.005
      Abstract    PDF ( )  
      Restorative perception has a positive effect on the cognition and emotions of individuals, and it can help individuals to restore attention. On the one hand, studying the source of restorative perception is conducive to understanding the internal mechanism of individual-space interaction. On the other hand, exploring spatial optimization strategies with restorative benefits is of important significance to planning and designing healthy urban spaces and creating healthy urban lives. 
        Based on the literature review and research hypothesis, a theoretical structural equation model consisting of serious leisure, place attachment, and restorative perception was proposed, and related hypotheses were put forward. A more suitable scale and test questions were selected according to research situations and the pre-survey. A measurement scale was designed to cover general information, serious leisure, place attachment, and restorative perception of individuals. Based on the scale, a questionnaire was formulated, and a field survey in skate space in Xuhui Riverside, Shanghai, was conducted. One hundred and one valid questionnaires were collected. Finally, data was processed, and hypothesis models were verified using SPSS 26.0 and SmartPLS 3.0 statistical analysis software. The research contents include reliability and validity analysis of scales, fitness and effect analysis of models, and mediating effect analysis. All hypotheses were proven to be true. Quantitative data about mutual influences among serious leisure, place attachment, and restorative perception was acquired. 
        Results showed that (1) serious leisure has a positive effect on place attachment. Individuals with more obvious leisure traits have higher levels of place attachment. The place attachment increases by 0.404 units if the serious leisure is improved by one unit. (2) Place attachment has a positive effect on restorative perception. Given a higher level of place attachment, the restorative effect of individuals is better. The restorative effect of individuals improves by 0.710 units if place attachment is increased by one unit. (3) Serious leisure has two pathways to affect restorative perception: A) serious leisure has a direct positive effect on restorative intuition. The restorative benefit for individuals increases by 0.206 units per each unit increase of serious leisure. B) Serious leisure has an indirect positive effect on restorative perception through place attachment, with a significant partial mediating effect. The restorative benefits for individuals will increase by 0.243 units through the mediating effect of place attachment per each unit increase of serious leisure.
        Therefore, landscape architects can adopt the following two strategies to deepen the serious leisure qualities of individual visitors, enhance the level of place attachment in urban space, and shape more restorative urban open spaces: (1) From the perspective of individual serious leisure, the overall planning of public spaces should match the natural background resources of a city and feasible serious leisure activities, create unique urban life experiences based on serious leisure sports, and explore the diversity of urban lives, thus enabling the improvement of restorative benefits for individuals. (2) From the perspective of place attachment, it can realize the mediating effect of "place attachment" in the driving mechanism of restorative benefits by paying attention to environmental spaces for individual leisure activities and strengthening functional conditions as well as the emotional experiences of places.
    • WANG Ling, ZHANG Yang, LI Binbin
      2023, 0(8):  51-60.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2023.08.006
      Abstract    PDF ( )  
      Modern railway construction, a historical "grand event," facilitated urban transportation transformation and changed the travel modes of residents. It is one of the most widespread collective memories throughout human social development. The corresponding railway heritage has evolved into trans-regional, large-scale, and systematic industrial remains. However, railway industrial heritage has been fragmented in the regional environment and lost spatial connections from a holistic perspective as a result of the continuous updating of modern transportation modes. Therefore, there is no place to carry railway-related social memories.

        This study focuses on the theoretical connotations of "field of memory." Results showed that the "fields of memory" in built-up environments are to awaken significant events that possess social influence but lack reliable "material evidence" throughout historical evolution. Late maintenance of these "fields of memory" is needed due to absent spontaneous memory and incomplete original material evidence. Therefore, the construction of "field of memory" not only targets protection but is also a form of building. In this study, fields of memory were constructed at three scales through the multidirectional exploration of social memory: intercity scale, urban scale, and regional scale. The fragmented railway ruins were interpreted generally. Among them, the field of memory at the intercity scale is to strengthen the connections of historic railway stations, rails, and industrial areas along the railway with historical events. The "point-line" relationship of such railway ruins still exists as linear rails or the "interpreted" urban road at present. The relationship between fundamental attributes and routes is preserved even if the original objects disappear. During the construction of the field of memory at the urban scale, key attention is paid to a specific left railway station as well as its historical influences on the construction of a specific urban space, including surrounding land use intensity, density, urban functional layout, road network form, and spatial structure around the railway station. The construction of field of memory at the regional scale focuses on functional layout, flow line, architectural colors, styles, decorations, and detailed composition inside the railway buildings as well as spaces formed by the external environment.

      A case study of the Chaozhou-Shantou Railway was carried out using the "field of memory" theory. The social memory it carries and the corresponding construction mode were disclosed. As a red transportation hub, a communication means for overseas Chinese and the evidence of integrated development of the Chaozhou-Shantou region, the Chaozhou-Shantou Railway has formed a regional cultural corridor with local characteristics and is a sign of times in the historical development of Chaozhou and Shantou. The corresponding construction of "field of memory" requires constructing railway site corridors through linear narratives, highlighting the spatial pattern of stations and cities, reproducing functions, and restoring the scenes of storage and transportation combination from point to surface. Beyond the perspective of built heritage, the practical issues of memory construction and storage for railway industrial heritage in a universal sense were explored, aiming to reflect the "inheritance" path of similar railway ruins.
        Today, there are a few physical remains of the Chaozhou-Shantou Railway, with the replacement of historical artifacts and the fragmentation of historic environment, most of which exist in social memory implicitly. As a result, there is very limited technological maintenance of buildings. Instead, there is a greater need to explore social memory to make the Chaozhou-Shantou Railway a "living history." The specific direction was determined by the "field of memory" theory. Research conclusions also propose a reflection on value recognition and system establishment of implicit cultural heritage. How should the value of social memory be positioned relative to the commonly discussed values of built heritage, such as architectural, aesthetic, and technical value? Can the value of social memory serve as an "inheritance" path of the Chaozhou-Shantou Railway? These questions require further evaluation and demonstration. However, it is clear that "field of memory," as a concept and method beyond the built heritage, can save, to some extent, historical rudiments that may disappear with time. More associated studies are needed.


    • ZHU Xinmiao, CHEN Yang, WANG Jia, GE Xin
      2023, 0(8):  61-70.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2023.08.007
      Abstract    PDF ( )  
      In recent years, the number of students in schools for intellectually disabled children has increased significantly, accompanied by intensifying degrees of disability. This is a result of  some children with mild disabilities being enrolled in regular schools due to the implementation of inclusive education. Meanwhile, special education schools are responsible for receiving children with moderate or severe disabilities. Children with higher severity of disabilities require more complicated special needs and need more support in terms of spatial environment. However, the research and development of school buildings for intellectually disabled children in mainland China relatively lags behind due to the late start of special education in the country. Currently, the outdoor environments in most schools for intellectually disabled children in China are constructed by imitating those in regular schools, without consideration for special needs. This negatively impacts the physical and mental recovery effect of the intellectually disabled students and the campus life quality of the students, teachers, and parents. Therefore, research on the construction of outdoor environments in schools for intellectually disabled children is urgent and has great practical significance.
        Firstly, according to a field survey of over 70 well-constructed special schools, the problems of the outdoor environment in schools for intellectually disabled children in China are mainly manifested in four aspects: incomplete outdoor site composition, unreasonable site scale, unscientific site organization, and insufficient consideration to site detail design.
        Secondly, the relatively mature experiences of developed countries in the construction of outdoor environments in schools for intellectually disabled children were reviewed. Two enlightenments were acquired through the analysis of these excellent cases. (1) Full consideration of the special needs of users is the key to successfully constructing outdoor environments in schools for intellectually disabled children. (2) It is necessary to design the outdoor environment of schools with "coexistence of shelter and challenge" and "multi-sensory biotropic design" for students with intellectual disabilities.
        Next, the special needs of users in indoor and outdoor environments of schools were analyzed according to their characteristics (e.g., features of intellectually disabled students generally include physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities, social communication disorders, emotional and behavioral disorders, and common comorbidities). On this basis, special requirements of intellectually disabled students for outdoor environments can be deduced.
        Finally, certain construction strategies for outdoor environments in schools for intellectually disabled children were proposed with references to the construction wisdom of educationally developed countries and special requirements of users to address current user problems in mainland China. These construction strategies involve four aspects, i.e., site composition, site scale, site organization, and site detail design. (1) In terms of site composition, the core functional sites composition meet the needs of special teaching and relevant activities, while the assisting functional sites meet the needs of special campus life as well as physical and psychological treatment. (2) For site scale, appropriate scales of some teaching, rehabilitation training, sports, game, and recreation sites were generally calculated according to special users, special class size, special behaviors, and special aids. (3) With respect to site organization, the organization strategies with both shelter and challenge are proposed from microscopic (among outdoor sites), mesoscopic (between indoor and outdoor environments), and macroscopic (between inside and outside the campus) levels. (4) For site detail design, some special requirements, such as safety and multi-sensory biotropic needs, were proposed from the perspectives of overall environmental facilities, facilities in different types of fields, and landscape elements.
    • MIAO Zhenxuan, WANG Jiehui, GUO Juanli
      2023, 0(8):  71-79.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2023.08.008
      Abstract    PDF ( )  
      During the 14th Five-Year Plan, China paid increasing attention to new countryside construction under the background of rural revitalization and agricultural and country modernization. Improving the construction quality of rural houses is vital to new countryside construction. Thus, China has published a series of relevant policies in recent years. These propose higher requirements for rural houses on the comfort of the physical environment, energy conservation and emission reduction level, reasonability of space planning, and fully meeting the functional use needs of farmers. Although many scholars have extensively studied the problem of the poor construction quality of rural houses, most current studies emphasize the functions or performances of rural houses, but ignore the difficulties in balancing performance and functional needs in rural house design. As a result, current rural house designs may not only need to incur excessively high costs to improve performance, but it is also difficult to provide sufficient spatial flexibility to meet the individual demands of peasant households.
        To address the above problems, this study extracted a reference rural house model with spatial representativeness through a field survey in cold regions. Based on this model, the theory of space thermal buffer to improve the stability of indoor physical environments and the theory of open architecture that can improve the flexibility of functional space were combined to refine the operational method of spatial hierarchy. This method mainly uses a multi-objective optimization algorithm and targets the optimization of the indoor optothermal environment. It uses Ladybug Tools in Rhino+Grasshopper for performance simulation as the platform and uses TOPSIS comprehensive evaluation analysis method as the decision-making method. It is a set of high-efficiency fast optimization design and decision methods for rural house spaces with consideration for both functions and performances.
        An application verification based on villages in the field survey was conducted to prove the validity of the proposed method. The spaces of rural houses were divided into two parts: the main building for daily life and the annex for production. The former is the primary part, while the latter can be increased or decreased according to the practical needs of peasant households. According to the theory of space thermal buffer, the main building space can be divided into loft, sunspace, the hot zone, and the cold zone. In the multi-objective optimization calculation, spatial design parameters of these four parts were used as decision variables, while PMV of the hot zone, sDA300/50% of the cold zone, and average HEC of the hot and cold zones were used as performance objectives. The optimal solution was selected according to the weights of performance objectives, thus getting the performance optimization spatial zoning scheme of rural houses. On this basis, the cold and hot zones were further divided into major cold zone, traffic belt, sub-hot zone, and major hot zone according to the theory of open architecture. Corresponding modules were placed into different zones according to the needs of peasant households. A complete spatial design scheme of rural houses can be gained through some adjustments of suitability.
        The proposed operational method of spatial hierarchy combines design theories that improve performances and functions in space design. It optimizes energy saving under a low-cost increment through passive design, and meets flexible function needs through modular design. Moreover, multiple schemes were compared, and the optimal one was recognized through the multi-objective optimization algorithm with a higher efficiency. This improves the design efficiency of rural house space significantly. Research conclusions have good implications for practical application to rural house construction in cold regions.
    • LOU Yinghao, QIAN Ying, CHENG Shumin, QIU Zhi
      2023, 0(8):  80-88.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2023.08.009
      Abstract    PDF ( )  
      Aging has always been a hot social issue in old communities. At present, most mature elderly care reform systems and mechanisms are established in large cities or rural areas. Small and medium-sized cities have different characteristics and attributes from large cities and rural areas in terms of physical form, residential mode, neighborhood relationships, social supporting mode, regional culture, and the situation of the elderly population in communities. Compared with large cities, small and medium-sized cities have scarcer supporting resources for the elderly, weaker awareness of elderly care, and a higher aged population. The elderly care system of large cities cannot be applied to small and medium-sized cities directly.
        This study conducted a questionnaire survey on the contradiction between elderly-friendly space shortage and use needs in old communities (residential areas from the 1980s to the 2000s) in Shaoxing, Jinhua, Wenzhou, Huzhou, and other small and medium-sized cities in Zhejiang Province. Features of four types of typical fragmented, limited spaces, including space among houses, space surrounding houses, lanes among houses, and traffic space of buildings, were summarized. Moreover, the spatial limitations and problems of old communities were disclosed. Secondly, attention was paid to the residential behaviors of the aged. The residential behaviors and needs of the aged were demonstrated. The appeals of residential behaviors for functions, scale, and energy efficiency of elderly-friendly spaces were extracted and analyzed from three dimensions, i.e., behavioral content and unit element, behavioral laws and spatial utility, as well as demand order and principle characteristics. Thirdly, concepts and characteristics of types of potential elderly-friendly microscopic public spaces were redefined, reviewed, refined, and integrated by matching physical spaces, as highlighted above, and behavioral demands. On this basis, the scopes of elderly-friendly micro-updating were defined effectively and extraction principles of spatial types were determined: spatial proximity, integration of weak potential spaces, and space residual elimination principle. Finally, some elderly-friendly updating strategies for old communities in small and medium-sized cities were proposed from three perspectives: perfecting menu-type design guideline, establishing industrial component standards, and exploring diversified cooperation mechanisms. Specifically, design guidelines mainly illustrate the elderly-friendly reconstruction method to the abovementioned four types of spaces. The industrial standard is mainly for optimization analysis of standardized mode and partialization components. The cooperation mechanism emphasizes the necessity of "sharing," collaboration, and interaction among government managers, professional designers, developers, and community users. The micro-updating design scheme was provided by taking the design guideline 1-1 for space among rural houses. Functions were perfected from places of behavioral freedom, cultural-belonging places, and information sharing stations.
        Facing increasing urbanization, large-scale demolition and construction is no longer appreciated in urban development. Micro-updating of big cities is more unique and plays a leading role. However, the micro-updating of small and medium-sized cities needs to pay more attention to universality and promotion. By exploring elderly-friendly micro-updating strategies, this study explores how to efficiently, gradually, accurately, and economically improve the elderly-friendly space in old communities in environments with rare elderly care resources. This is particularly important in small and medium-sized cities under the premise of continuously improving the quality of settlement environments for the aged. This study provides some references for the universal elderly-friendly micro-updating practices of old communities. Nevertheless, this study still has some shortages. For example, the proposed strategies are in the stage of theoretical and design schemes and have to be corrected and verified through practice.
    • ZHOU Jianyun, ZHUO Yuqi, ZENG Xinyi
      2023, 0(8):  89-98.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2023.08.010
      Abstract    PDF ( )  
      As China's urbanization enters the high-quality development stage, improving urban space quality becomes an important task of urban development. Urban skyline not only reflect vertical urban development, but is also the goal and reference for the zone control of building heights, especially for site selection and design review of landmark buildings. Research on urban skyline planning and control methods is of important significance to protect and strengthen urban features, shape local features, and improve the overall image of cities.
        Shantou has a long history of culture and is one of the first special economic zones in China. Suai Bay, which is located at the marine outfall of the Rongjiang River, runs through Shantou City. It divides the city into south and north parts, forming a unique landscape pattern of "one bay and two banks facing each other." General experiences were summarized via a systematic literature review of the theory and practice of skyline planning in China and foreign countries. A case study based on the research program of urban skyline planning and control in Shantou City was carried out. Key attention was paid to understanding the urban skyline, core planning and control contents, and planning implementation system.
      According to the research: (1) the recognition of urban skyline is a dialectical unity of synchronicity and diachronism. It should follow the principle of integrity and reflect spatiotemporal integrity. The goals and principles of urban skyline planning should strengthen the overall morphological features of urban development, including protecting and displaying the skyline of historic urban areas and shaping unique contours in future development. (2) The core content of urban skyline planning and control includes zoning, hierarchical and segmented index control of building height, waterfront interface design guidance, and node and focus design guidance. Zoning of building height is the basic mean for urban skyline control. In hierarchical and segmented control, the three core control indexes include building clearance ratio, maximum diagonal size of plane, and building profile ratio control except for building height. The city interface directly reflects the image of the city. Management and control of city interface, especially interface observed at point of sight, are important in skyline planning. Moreover, requirements concerning sight protection of current landmark buildings as well as suggestions for site selection of commanding height of planning and height control are proposed through urban design in key regions. (3) Urban skyline planning is an important topic in overall urban design. Its essence lies in reflecting and coordinating between the overall urban planning objectives and the detailed planning development intensity control on the vertical projection. A "skyline control drawing guideline" was established for the convenience of management and application. As the implementation results of the skyline planning and control, the "drawing guideline" is not a simple transformation of urban skyline shape scheme, but a guide of goals, principles and methods. The skyline is controlled and implemented through the follow-up design review stage.
    • LIN Tong, ZHAO Yuezhe
      2023, 0(8):  99-106.  DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2023.08.011
      Abstract    PDF ( )  
      Urban culture, regional characteristics, and urban memory are precipitated in historical and cultural blocks. Fengyuan Avenue - Liwan Lake Historical & Cultural Block is located in the western part of the ancient city site of Guangzhou. Centered at Liwan Lake, it is formed by combining two traditional texture areas: 1) the traditional urban area, consisting of a garden around the lake, the mansion, and Xiguan; 2) the traditional village in the west suburbs. Soundscape is one of the important carriers of the history of blocks. Studying valuable soundscapes protected in the Fengyuan Avenue - Liwan Lake Historical & Cultural Block and analyzing the relevant influencing factors can provide soundscape perspectives for protecting and updating the block, thus improving the historical and humanistic connotations of the block.
          In the Fengyuan Avenue - Liwan Lake Historical & Cultural Block, eight representative regions were chosen as survey nodes and soundscapes, and were investigated on-site. A subjective questionnaire survey was carried out. The questionnaire was designed according to ISO-12913 and incorporated the research objective. Two hundred and forty-six valid questionnaires were collected. The questionnaire had good reliability and validity. Respondents of the same node showed good consistency of scores.
      Results showed that soundscape in this block was composed of 15 types of sound sources. Specifically, many types of sound sources are generated by human activities with high hearing degrees. They are the dominant sound source in the block. Animal sounds, sounds of Cantonese Opera, and playing sounds are major sounds and part of the soundscape to be protected in the block. Soundscape perceptual evaluation factors in the block can be divided into psychological attributes, physical attributes, harmony, and richness. The cumulative contribution rate of variance of these four dimensions is 74.37%. Among them, psychological attributes show the highest interpretation rate of variance. 
        The general soundscape perceptual evaluation of the block is good, but there are differences among different nodes. Soundscape perceptual evaluation scores of psychological attributes, physical attributes, and harmony at eight nodes are higher than the standardized mean. Moreover, the inclusiveness of perception of harmony and physical attributes is stronger. Richness perceptual evaluation differs significantly among different nodes. The overall satisfaction evaluation and coordination evaluation of the soundscape in the block is relatively good. Major factors that influence the subjective evaluation of soundscape include the hearing degree of technological sound, psychological and physical attributes in soundscape perception structure, and whether respondents live in the block. Psychological attributes of soundscape in the block influence the subjective evaluation mostly. Respondents who live closer to the block reported lower overall satisfaction with the soundscape. This reflects that it lacks soundscape planning and design for residents who live in the block.
        Natural and marking sounds influence the subjective evaluation of soundscape by influencing the perception of psychological and physical attributes. Sounds generated by human activities influence subjective evaluation through the influencing perception of physical attributes. 
      Such sounds also have a positive correlation with harmony and have a negative correlation with richness. This demonstrates that sound pressure level should be controlled properly to protect the soundscape produced by human activities. Respondents with a higher level of education background tend to report negative satisfaction with the soundscape of the block. This reveals that users with a higher education background have higher requirements and expectations regarding soundscape. The coordination degree between soundscape and block environment is an important factor influencing soundscape evaluation. Differences between dominant and marker sounds at some nodes can be used as references to improve the soundscape of the block. Connotations and characteristics of soundscape are contents that have to be explored and emphasized in historical and cultural blocks. 
        Under the construction goal of the Cultural Bay Area, attention should be paid to protecting and constructing soundscape during the use of historical and cultural blocks. This will not only realize coordination between soundscape and environment, but will also highlight historical values and characteristics of the block through soundscape, and develop traditional culture of the block. Research conclusions can provide references to study, protect and construct soundscape in historical cultural blocks in Lingnan area.