Convenience Analysis of Public Service Facilities in the Walking Circle of Urban Housing Estates

A walkable urban built environment with convenient facilities is the key to improve the living quality of urban residents and build a livable city in the new era.Taking each urban housing estate as the center and based on walking accessibility,the walking circle of housing estates was constructed.Taking the six functional systems of convenient shopping,catering service,fi nancial service,scientifi c research and education,leisure and entertainment,and medical service as evaluation factors,and considering the actual frequency of residents’use of various public service facilities and the reduction of walking,the convenience evaluation system of public service facilities was established.Taking the urban built environment within the Second Ring Road of Shijiazhuang City,Hebei Province as an example,it is found that the convenience of public service facilities in the walking circle of housing estates within the Second Ring Road presented a circular layer distribution of“low outside and high inside”.This study will provide the reference for urban renewal and renovation and improvement of facilities.

Effects of outdoor shared spaces on social interaction in a housing estate in Algeria

This study aims to identify how the characteristics of shared outdoor spaces in housing estates influence residents to interact with one another. The study specificalty focuses on a housing project catted la cite des 1000 logts, which is situated in a zone d＇habitat urbaine nouvelle in Biskra, a city in South Algeria. The investigation draws on two sources of information, observations of the ways in which the residents use their neighborhood spaces and a questionnaire survey with residents about the perceived adequacy of these spaces for social interaction. Data for the survey was collected from the owners of fiats in the apartment blocks surrounding the open spaces. Housing samples were taken from a total of 1000 housing units identified within the study area. Twenty five percent （25%） of the total housing units were selected. Out of the 250 questionnaires administered to household-heads who were the respondents, only 230 were subsecluently retrieved for data anatysis. Results showed that the high degree of ＂openness＂ of la cite des 1000 logts and the poor quatity of communal outdoor spaces in the area discourage art forms of spatial use and reduce these outdoor spaces to transit areas. Furthermore, findings indicated that the layout of buildings and the quality of common outdoor spaces in residential neighborhoods substantially affect the use of these spaces and the social interaction among residents.

Analysis of the Planning and Construction of Chuanfu Housing Estate in Tianjin

Chuanfu Estate is located in the Nankai district ofTianjin.It is one of three experimental housing estates desig-nated by the Ministry of Construction of the People’s Re-public of China in 1986 for the northern part of thecountry.It is included in the National Seventh Five-YearPlan’s leading research program.Chuanfu Estate was builtaccording to the ″integral-planning,rational-layout,com-

Holistic Approaches for Renovation of Large Housing Areas in Japan

Social imbalance and obsolescence of the built environment has emerged in large sized housing estates in metropolises. In particular, the requirement of such planned housing areas has not matched public service provided by the infrastructure. On not only physical but also social aspect of local communities of this kind of housing area have a lot of problems while it also has a lot of good characteristics. A representative one is that age of the tenants is rising very swiftly and it makes the local community imbalanced. Nowadays many countries including Japan have tackled problems concerning housing estates constructed during the mass housing era and try to search for ways to reactivate so-called new town areas by utilisation of existing environmental resources such as building stock and ample green open space. In Japan many elemental technologies have been developed in order to utilise existing building stock. However, how to combine these technologies and new holistic methods for reactivation are still underdeveloped. Therefore, it is very important to fred these ways and to make a comprehensive plan for rehabilitation of these areas. The first purpose of our study is to develop and clarify how to organise and integrate many kinds of elemental techniques and the holistic measures for the improvement of both social and physical environment in suburban mass housing estates. Subsequently we try to reorganise proper relations between human settlements and the various service provision for those regions. Our last focus is put on searching for new ways to raise the value of existing housing environment. Our conclusion intends to indicate important of the master plan and its execution, where mass housing estates progress for the physical and social improvement.

Shrinking and Super-Aging Suburbs in Japanese Metropolis

Japan＇s aging rate has exceeded 26%, ahead of any other country in the world. Aging is progressing rapidly in both rural and urban areas. Recently, super-aging in old suburbs is remarkable. Recently, Japanese old suburban housing estates are declining. They are facing several serious problems. Most serious problems are aging of residents and decreasing population, and these are caused by long-term dwelling. Because many Japanese think that ＂Japanese Dream＂ is occupancy of detached house in suburb. Japanese suburban residents tend to stay after child rearing. And another severe problem is the increasing vacant houses. In this study, the authors try to clarify the conditions of shrinking suburbs in Japanese cities and will introduce some activities for revitalization in suburbs. As for aging of suburban residents, in old housing estates, the first generation of migrants grew older and continued to live in their own house in suburban areas. Furthermore, their children grew up and moved out. These are caused by the failure of town planning, which supplied the same type of houses in short term. Furthermore, increases in vacant houses are seen throughout every old suburban housing estate, and it induces new uneasiness and social troubles and drop in housing price.