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Landscape Design, Housing and Everyday Use of Green Space in Urban China
Author(s) -
Xie Junfang
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geography compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.587
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 1749-8198
DOI - 10.1111/gec3.12190
Subject(s) - everyday life , china , urban planning , space (punctuation) , sociology , politics , aesthetics , intersection (aeronautics) , environmental ethics , geography , political science , civil engineering , engineering , cartography , art , computer science , philosophy , archaeology , law , operating system
In this paper, I discuss historic and contemporary relationships between landscape design, housing and everyday uses of green space in urban China. By drawing together writing focused on theorizing nature and everyday life, I offer critical insights into urban political, economic, social and cultural change in Chinese cities. The paper begins with a review of religious philosophies and cultural traditions relating to the development of Chinese gardens and then discusses the impact of the introduction of ‘western’ style public parks alongside the emergence of modern urban planning and design. The second half of the paper traces how changing notions of nature and everyday life can be mapped onto housing development and associated urban social and spatial inequalities. In conclusion, I highlight how critical insights at the intersection of thinking on nature and everyday life can inform socially progressive urban development, planning and policy.