A Study On Residential Landscape Morphology Of Public Rental Housing In Hilly Cities

China has been a prosperous and powerful developing nation since the opening of the twenty-first century. The in-depth implementation of the Reform and Openness policy and the acceleration of urbanization have resulted in some significant social problems. One of the problems with increasing attention in recent years is the emergence of an alienated social group, the so called'sandwiched class', in urban housing market, and correspondingly the policies and projects of Public Rental Housing (PRH) initiated in Chongqing and well received by official authorities of various levels.One of the outstanding characteristics of Chongqing is its hilly landscape with two rivers crossing. The School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Chongqing University, with an expertise in'mountain architecture'research, soon notice the research potential about how PRH could be well located in a hilly landscape. It is clear that PRH is not an issue simply about architectural design and urban planning, but one related to various factors of the society. This leads to a comprehensive and systematic research project about PRH proposed by Professor Dai Zhizhong in order to have a general picture of this kind of housing and provide academic guidance for decision-making of the government. Among the various issues of this project, there is one about'landscape morphology'.'Landscape morphology'has its own independent academic value, which has been recognised since the nineteenth century. While some Chinese scholars abroad made remarkable progress in this research area in the 1980s, there has been limited inquiry about it in recent several decades, despite the fact that various'landscapes', including that of regional, urban and residential, have been investigated, designed and established. Till now, the only monograph about it is still Landscape Morphology, originally the doctoral thesis by Professor Wu Jiahua in the UK. However, landscape morphology will be an indispensible appeal in the development of PRH meeting the requirements of the general residents. This is exactly the point for this particular investigation. What should be first of all considered, analysed and clarified include: What are the basic categories and main theories of landscape morphology? Can, or how can, its methods be applied in promoting the design quality and extra values of PRH? In comparison with other relevant theories, such as those in architecture, urban planning, and particularly landscape architecture, what responsibilities does it hold and what advantages does it have?Some foreign experiences, such as'principles for a beautiful form'in the formal style landscape design, could be borrowed, and Chinese garden traditions, such as the design approaches representing the imagery of'Though it is man-made, it seems as a natural one', should be inherited. Based on some substantial work done previously, it is intended to illustrate the application of design methods and planning structure under landscape morphology for PRH in hilly landscapes, investigate and evaluate other architectural and landscape design of residential projects, and provide a reference for developing the methodology of landscape morphology. These are the basic structure and the principal aim of this research.