Reclaiming home: exploring spatial and social life in residential Winnipeg through the lens of Lilong - housing in Shanghai
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Residential environments have a close relationship to everyday human life. They are not only significant places for human activity; they also play an important role in the physical and social contexts. Additionally, welcoming and attractive open spaces in residential neighbourhoods increase opportunities for informal interaction among residents, and create hospitable places for humans to live, build family, develop community,and interact with their natural environment. The intention of this practicum is to provide a lens through which to reconsider the definition of home, focusing on outdoor space as a crucial and key component to increasing overall satisfaction with one’s home. The study of Lilong housing in Shanghai plays a significant role in this practicum, through exploring the spatial-social relationship of Lilong housing, looking at how physical and spatial layout influence patterns of space use and movement, and examining impact on the social life (Hillier, 1987). These findings are derived from carefully investigating both the physical and community aspects of Lilong, and prove that the hierarchy of social structure is reflected and supported by a hierarchy of communal spaces (Gehl, 2011). Therefore, the most important spatial feature graduated, outdoor spaces with public, semi-public, semi-private and private areas - dominates the design decisions. The design is presented as a major means to redefine and reform outdoor spaces in residential Winnipeg, in relation to social interaction from a landscape architecture perspective.