Migrants, Urban Village, and An Open Community - A Case of Yangji, Guangzhou, China
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Date
2015-01-12
Authors
Zhang, Zhuoyi
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Waterloo
Abstract
Massive migration is one the most significant phenomena of China’s
urbanization. In the thirty years since the "Reform and Open Up" policy
began, Guangzhou, as the center of the Pearl River Delta, has experienced
significant economic growth and urban expansion and attracted a vast
number of migrant laborers.
Seen as the product of the rapid urbanization, urban villages accommodate
the majority of migrants by providing low-rent housing, but at the same
time they cause many social problems. Guangzhou’s general approach to
the redevelopment of urban village overlooks the serious issues migrants
are facing and their demand of affordable housing. The reconstruction not
only disregards the traditional village context but also drives the migrants
away. Yangji village presents all characteristics typical of urban villages.
It is located near the new center of Guangzhou and is currently being
redeveloped.
With the aim of improving the migrants' standard of living and helping
them gradually integrate into the city, this thesis proposes a new way to
redevelop Yangji village in the urban context of Guangzhou by providing
migrants with government-subsided low-rent housing and enhancing
the potential for social interactions in the neighborhood. Taking into
consideration the overall city development of Guangzhou, the benefits to all
its citizens as well as the former village context and its population, the thesis proposes a design for an open community that is a mixture of different
populations, functions, natural and historical elements.
Description
Keywords
Urban Village, Open Community, Migrant, Guangzhou