Mixed-use neighborhood and the sustainability of built environment : a case study of Tianjin

Abstract

Mixed-use neighborhood has become a research and practical focus internationally in recent decades, largely because the principle of mixed-use development is regarded by many researchers and practitioners as an important instrument to create attractive, livable and sustainable neighborhood. Many sustainable urban strategies, such as “Compact City”, “New Urbanism” and “Smart Growth”, include mixed-use development as a key principle. In China, this principle is also promoted for achieving sustainability. Chinese mixed-use neighborhoods can be classified into two main categories: danwei compounds and commodity mixed-use neighborhoods. However, as some critics have argued, ambiguity still exists in the mechanism by which mixed-use development enhances sustainability of built environment. Besides, other relevant questions have often been asked: since danwei compounds in China are regarded as mixed-use neighborhoods, are their built environments sustainable? Do those neighborhoods influenced by mixed-use theory achieve sustainable built environment? This thesis will try to fill these gaps, and the significance is two-fold. Firstly, from the academic perspective, this study builds up a theoretical framework of the mechanism of mixed-use development impacting on built environment sustainability. Two distinct aspects of sustainability are identified: technical sustainability and behavioral sustainability. Given that mixed-use development research is mainly based on Western context, the scope of literature will be broadened by including varied studies in China. Secondly, from the empirical perspective, danwei compounds and commodity mixed-use neighborhoods provide valuable examples for analyzing the relevance of mixed-use development and built environment sustainability. In balance, rethinking danwei compounds from the point of view of mixed-use development, along with examining the sustainability performance of commodity mixed-use neighborhoods, will help to figure out how to improve sustainability of mixed-use neighborhoods in Tianjin in future. This study mainly applies deductive research method to test and explain the mechanism with qualitative and quantitative methods. Moreover, through a comparative study of the major sustainable neighborhood assessment tools, such as BREEAM for Communities (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method for Communities) in the United Kingdom, LEED-ND (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development) in the United States and Eco-housing Assessment Technical Manual in China (CEATM), standards on the aspect of neighborhood pattern and design in LEED-ND will be used to evaluate sustainability performance of selected cases in Tianjin. Tianjin once had danwei compounds as the predominant urban spatial form and now it witnesses booming development of commodity mixed-use neighborhoods, which makes it appropriate for case study region. First-hand and secondary data will be collected through archival research, on-site observation, focus groups and semi-structured interviews. This study identifies features of mixed-use development on five aspects: (1) At least two uses serve as the components of integration. (2) These uses are integrated physically and functionally. (3) These uses are substantial enough to be the attraction in their respective markets. (4) The development must achieve the pedestrian-oriented environment with concentrated diversity. (5) Each component of the development must be in conformance with a coherent plan. Furthermore, the findings in this study support the argument that mixed-use development contributes to sustainability performance of the built environment, and the key to achieve sustainability is to promote behavioral sustainability. In the process, the effective integration of sustainable built environment principles plays a vital role. Other key principles include compactness, transit-oriented design, human scale, and ecological design. Besides, danwei compounds have been proven that they incorporate some principles for sustainability, while the majority of conditions are inconsistent with a sustainable goal. Finally, this thesis concludes by outlining recommendations to improve sustainability performance of cases, and pointing out future research directions.