The Landscape Edge Of City Parks: A Study On The Spatial Vitality

The organization of urban spaces in China's cities has evolved gradually over the entire history of Chinese civilization. In the past, a typical urban space is normally confined by city walls and often lacks of open public spaces. This makes most urban spaces function more like a private courtyard, defensive and self-contained. Later, with the boundary defined by more alive, open and diverse boundary elements, urban spaces have become dynamic city parks, full of natural and man-made beauty.This research aims to establish a research and design framework for contemporary city park development based on the principles of Chinese vernacular landscaping. This is achieved through thoroughly investigating the relationship between the vitality of urban space and the boundary elements.The thesis is organized into four major chapters. Chapter one, titled "The Origin", analyses urban edge based on the principles of traditional Chinese culture. The intent is to understand why traditional China's cities do not establish a lively living environment. Chapter two, titles "Imagination", intends to investigate how the park boundary is influenced by the internal spatial design. Chapter three, titled "Theory", provides a theory for studies on the landscape edge of city parks, which believes that the park edge is an important reflection and extension of what is inside the park and thus is what determines how lively the urban space is. This chapter also analyzes how the form of park edge affects activities. Chapter four, titled "Rules", presents how this theory is tested through surveys, case studies and practice.