Small Should Be Beautiful

Production and consumption of urban housing is not only an important part of the national economy, but also a dynamic miniature of social development mode. Population density and resource status determine the inevitability and necessity to develop compact living pattern in China. Focus on this pattern, the dissertation established perspectives combined macro with micro, short-term with long-term, intensive with comfortable, and made systematic researches and positive explorations on full realization and sustainable development.The first part of the dissertation made a systematic demonstration on compact living pattern. Through analyzing current social and urban problems, the importance of developing compact living pattern was pointed out. Based on related researches at home and abroad, the fundamental properties of the compact living pattern could be summarized as intensive and efficient use of space. The definition and research involve macro and micro level, as well as the practice is composed by residential district planning and dwelling unit design. By reviewing the development process of domestic and international living pattern, the dissertation analyzed the rules and trends of compact living pattern under the present conditions in China.The second part of the dissertation made a detailed statement on the realization of compact living pattern. By analyzing the density strategies in residential planning and the dimension strategies in unit design, integrity and tridimension principles were put forward with methods such as "multi-level courtyard", "flexible steps", "duplex space" and "interlaced assembly". These strategies will restore the residential environment into a three-dimensional organic unity, and then will realize the compact living pattern thoroughly and reasonably from a comprehensive perspective.The third part of the dissertation made a deep analysis on the development of compact living pattern. By expounding the time orientation as "static with dynamic" and value orientation as " humanistic with ecological", flexibility and amenity principles were put forward with methods of "network structure", "user participation", "eco-settlements" and "healthy small-sized dwelling". These strategies will restore the residential environment into a dynamic process as well as a diverse ecosystem, and then will investigate the sustainable development of compact living pattern in longer and wider scope.