Alternative urban landscape intervention : promote communities integration and social cohesion

Abstract

In recent years, the integration between communities has become an issue that the Chinese government and society are actively facing up to. National policies are encouraging the gradual opening up and integration between communities, which is conducive to the establishment of more efficient urban road network and stable and harmonious social form. However, we find it difficult to establish effective social connections between communities where urban dwellers live and that of low-income migrant workers. Apparently, there is a clear exclusion between communities. In Shenzhen, for example, the rapid urbanization process has brought many immigrants into the population. Based on the limited educational resources of the city and the limited technical skills of outsiders, most immigrants have to live in low-cost communities such as urban villages or industrial villages, and most of them are manual workers with meager incomes. On the other hand, in order to meet the housing needs, Shenzhen has witnessed a gradual shift of housing from the city center to the suburbs, and it is highly predictive that in the near future, there will be more and more high-end commercial housing community dwelling with the low-income immigrant workers. Thus, the integration of migrant workers with urban indigenous inhabitants, as well as community exclusion due to lack of social interaction and connectivity, would be an unavoidable social phenomenon. For this thesis, two typical communities in Shenzhen are taken for the research, one is the urban residents "Huabanli Community", the other is opposite the road outside the residential area "Qinghu Village". They are taken for the research of how to promote the two residents in the cultural level for the understanding and breaking down of the psychological barriers. Through the literature reviews and case studies, the author found that the public space should be actively used for cultural display and interactive entertainment, as a bridge between urban residents and migrant workers to interact with each other. Besides, strengthening the infrastructure construction and improving the traffic situation are also critical strategies for promoting social interactions and communities integration. To sum up, through a comprehensive study, observation and user research, this thesis aims to promote the effective use of the inter-community public space, and is committed to eliminating the prejudice and promoting the understanding and interaction between urban residents and migrant workers for a society of variety and harmony.