The process of rapid urbanization has brought not only opportunities for the development of urban areas but also challenges for the design of quality urban space, especially for residential neighborhoods and public spaces. For the past four decades, the most common housing option for urban dwellers in China has been an apartment in a high-rise concrete tower in a gated residential community. This type of housing model initially improved the living conditions for residents and helped to solve the land shortage issue; however, that model can no longer fulfill residents’ demand for well-being or maintain a sustainable way of living.
This thesis examines the current condition of the newly developed residential projects in Nanjing and identifies some of the problems of the current model of housing development. Those problems include reduced mobility of pedestrians and automobiles, land-usage issues caused by building hybrid open spaces, and a lack of places that promote social interaction.
The method for opening these gated residential communities and for creating a better housing option for the general public has been a controversial subject in the realm of urban planning and architecture design. Learning from the successful precedents of mixed-used urban projects and quality public space, as well as the theory of new urbanism and sustainable development, this thesis provides a new option for sustainable residential communities in the new urban area of Nanjing—namely, one that promotes the well-being of urban residents
