China City Planning Review (No.1, 2023)

♦ Assessment and Impact Factor Analysis on Stormwater Regulation and Storage Capacity of Urban Green Space in China and Abroad

Author: Xu Tao, Yu Kongjian, Li Dihua, Wang Miao

Translated by Li Caige / Proofread by Liang Sisi

Abstract: Stormwater resources are not effectively utilized in many Chinese cities, which not only wastes water resources but has also brought about serious urban flooding problems. Urban green space, as a resilient approach of stormwater regulation and storage, has been widely applied in urban flooding control and sponge city construction. Through a review on relevant literature in the past two decades, this paper systematically compares the methods commonly used in the assessment on stormwater regulation and storage capacity of urban green space, examines the pattern factors affecting the capacity, and expounds the application of urban green space in stormwater management at different scales. The literature review aims to provide a scientific basis for the alleviation of urban flooding problems and the construction of sponge cities. Meanwhile, the paper also puts forward four development trends in the research on the stormwater regulation and storage function of urban green space.

Keywords: urban green space; stormwater regulation and storage; pattern; sponge city; research progress

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10198.htm>

♦ Impacts of Urban Environment on Women’s Emotional Health and Planning Improving Strategies: An Empirical Study of Guangzhou Based on Neuroscience Experiments

Author: Zhong Shaoming, Yuan Yuan, Wang Linting

Translated by Li Min / Proofread by Tang Yan

Abstract: The quality of urban environment has a profound impact on the health of women—one of the core subjects of urban life. Based on neuroscientific methods, such as the Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) and the E4 wristband and taking a road section in Guangzhou as an example, this paper explores the impact of urban environment on women's emotional health from both objective physiological indicators and subjective psychological reports. The study finds that both environment type and travel sequence have a different impact on women's emotions. The level of spatial openness, the sudden change of environment type, and the mixed traffic flow are the main factors contributing to fluctuations in female participants'emotional arousal. Combined with the neuroscience experiment results and an in-depth interview, it proposes women-friendly planning and design strategies, such as improving vision permeability and creating reasonable transitional space, in order to provide a reference for the construction of healthy cities focusing on key populations.

Keywords: women’s health; urban environment; healthy cities; neuroscience

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10199.htm>

♦ Does the Old City Meet the Needs of Contemporary Women? A Study on Women-Friendliness of the Built Environment in Old Beijing City

Author: Xue Pengcheng, Wang Shunyi, Liu Tao, Wang Fang

Translated by Liu Jinxin / Proofread by Liu Jiayan

Abstract: Women-friendliness is an important content of inclusive city, while it has received rare attention during the regeneration of old cities. This study constructed women-friendliness indicators in three dimensions, i.e., security, equity, and specialization, and combined the quantitative calculations of coupling coordination with the qualitative analysis of in-depth interview. 25 subdistricts in old Beijing city were selected as case studies to analyze the spatial variation pattern of women-friendliness at the subdistrict level, and the characteristics of supply and demand relationships in three scenarios, namely "living," "working," and "traveling," were summarized. It was found that the spatial variation in terms of women's security and equity indicators among each subdistrict of the old Beijing city was large, while specialized facilities, which are still at an early development stage, were more evenly distributed but fewer in number. And the facilities in old Beijing city were more inclusive for both female residents and female tourists, while less inclusive for female employees. Finally, specific suggestions for the women-friendly development of old Beijing city were proposed in perspectives of mixed use of function, facility optimization, supply and demand adjustment, etc., hoping to provide references for other cities to increase inclusiveness in the process of urban regeneration.

Keywords: women-friendly; security; equity; specialization; coupling coordination; old Beijing city

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10200.htm>

♦ Towards an Equitable City: Gender Mainstreaming Strategies in the Context of Vienna

Author: Zhang Jennifer Wei

Edited by Liu Jinxin / Proofread by Liang Sisi

Abstract: Gender mainstreaming originated in the late 20^th century as a tool for gender equality in multiple political and social areas. In the context of urban planning and design, it was raised as a response towards the male-dominated and car-centered urban model of our modern cities, arguing that the traditional built environment often neglects the needs of people with limited access to vehicular transportation modes. This disproportionately affects women whose daily routines often include other care-giving responsibilities, making them more reliant on non-vehicular transportation and susceptible to shortcomings in the design of public spaces. Starting with an analysis of the history and development of gender mainstreaming, this paper aims to explore gender-sensitive measures and applications in the context of Vienna, Austria. It investigates key commitments outlined in the government urban strategy plans as well as implementations of gender mainstreaming strategies at different urban planning and design scales throughout the city, particularly focusing on the aspern Seestadt masterplan in Vienna. Through understanding the process and impact of gender mainstreaming strategies in Vienna, this paper argues the importance of integrating a multitude of voices into the design of our urban environments, not limited to gender but also including race, religion, sexuality and abilities in order to create accessible, inclusive and human-oriented cities.

Keywords: gender mainstreaming; Vienna; gender-sensitive planning and design

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10201.htm>

♦ Characteristics of the Space for Women amid Social Changing: A Case Study on China's Early Modern Universities

Author: Zhang Wei, Chen Qian

Translated by Li Min / Proofread by Liu Jian

Abstract:In pre-modern China, the space for women was rarely a subject of architectural theory studies. It is along with the development of feminism in the field of sociology that more attention was gradually paid to it and its morphological characteristics. When women began to participate in production activities in society, their life structure was greatly changed. Focusing on female dormitories as main living space for women in universities, this paper conducts a comparative study on the living space for men and women in China’s early modern universities from the perspective of planning and architecture. It analyzes the transformation of the space for women under the background of lifestyle diversification, elaborating its progressive and limitative meanings and identifying its reasons, so as to encourage more studies on the unique characteristics of the space for women.

Keywords: social changing; female dormitories; spatial characteristics; gender differences

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10202.htm>

♦ Exploration on Implementation-Oriented Mode for Old Residential Community Renovation: Based on the Concept of Low Impact Development

Author: Huang Jingnan, Yang Shilin, Zhang Jing

Translated by Li Caige / Proofread by Mao Qizhi

Abstract: In the era of stock planning, the renovation of old residential communities has become an important part of urban development in China. However, the renovation planning is difficult to implement. The paper points out three main factors that affect the implementation of old residential community renovation under the current system: complex property right structure, multiple stakeholders, and lack of funds. Based on the concept of Low Impact Development, and with minimizing the impact as the goal, the paper proposes a new mode for the renovation of old residential communities: through an analysis on property rights and interest game in old residential communities, and according to cost estimation, priority should be given to renovating the public elements that neither involve property rights or core interests nor require too many funds, including public space, roads, supporting facilities, etc., with community management to be properly improved. In the end, with the renovation of Quanyechang Community of Wuhan City as an example, the paper concludes that this renovation mode can not only meet the urgent needs for renovation, but is also easy to implement.

Keywords: Low Impact Development; renovation of old residential community; planning implementation; urban regeneration

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10203.htm>

♦ Urban Color Readability of Ethnic Image: A Case Study on Nanning Central Urban Area

Author: Zhang Lu, Peng Zhenghong

Translated by Qian Fang / Proofread by Tang Yan

Abstract: Urban color is composed of artificial and natural colors, and different geographic and humanistic environments create different color aesthetic values and expressions. Compared with regular cities, ethnic minority cities are often more distinctive in the expression of urban color due to their unique ethnic culture and beliefs. With the ethnic aesthetic characteristics accumulated through time, ethnic culture is one of the spiritual cores of the ethnic minority cities. It is of contemporary significance to carry out the study on urban color in the context of urban renewal, in order to retain regional characteristics, stimulate emotional resonance, and enhance the readability of city image by portraying the urban ethnic image. Considering the lack of related research on urban color of ethnic image, this paper takes the central urban area of Nanning as an example to show the refined ethnic image and cultural characteristics of the city that can be reflected by the urban color, so as to explore a feasible path for highlighting characteristics of the city image and stimulating cultural readability and resonance.

Keywords: urban color; city image; readability; ethnic image

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10204.htm>