{"id":1424,"date":"2016-11-05T00:01:41","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T16:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesis.arch.hku.hk\/2016\/?p=1424"},"modified":"2016-11-11T02:13:54","modified_gmt":"2016-11-10T18:13:54","slug":"extension-of-public-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thesis.arch.hku.hk\/2016\/extension-of-public-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Extension of public space"},"content":{"rendered":"
Thesis Statement What & Why Towards the government, cramped back alleys are places which filled with trashes and offensive part in fascinating metropolis. However, towards the city user, some back alleys not only act as a short cut for pedestrian but also gathering spaces. Back alleys become a new opportunity for the extension of their public spaces.<\/p>\n In 2012, a project called STAG was launched in Hong Kong. The member of the STAG project demonstrates that the city created by the developers should not be perceived as a limitation of people\u2019s appropriation in back alleys of Hong Kong. In fact, most public spaces are taken over and strictly regulated by commercial companies and government authorities. The shopping malls are not real public spaces because they do not allow free appropriation of the city user.<\/p>\n \u201cThere must be a clear demarcation between what is public space and what is private space. Public and private spaces cannot ooze into each other as they do typically in suburban settings or in projects.\u201d \u2015\u00a0Jane Jacobs<\/p>\n Hong Kong\u2019s back lanes are one of the edge public spaces, while \u201cedge of public spaces\u201d is the space that belong to the public domain are in fact not planned nor designed for public use. Facing the blurred situation, there is a good opportunity to turn the \u201cedge public space\u201d into the \u201cproper public space\u201d.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Figure 1. Worker takes a rest at the back alleys.<\/p>\n <\/a>Figure 2. Back alley becomes a gathering space.<\/p>\n How For existing building:<\/p>\n 1.Creating a vertical public space in a narrow back alleys.
\n<\/strong>The thesis will focus on an urban element which is back alleys. Since there is a lack of public space within Hong Kong, I would like to explore the methodology of creating public space in back alleys. Environmental consideration of back alleys will also be explored to optimize the conditions.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>In Hong Kong, there is around 7000 people who crowded in every square kilometer in 2016. Facing the problem of overcrowding, land cost becomes to be too valuable and the land becomes treasure for us. It seems that we need to make good use of every single inch of space. In the late nineties, each Hong Kong resident had only 1.5 square meters of public space while each Singaporean had 4.5 square meters. In some high density district like Mongkok, each Hong Kong resident had only 0.5 meter of public space. In such a high property price and dense city, how can we further extend our public spaces?<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>There are three ways to create public spaces at the back alleys. Urban infill\u00a0concepts are applied to occupy the residual spaces between buildings<\/p>\n
\n<\/u>Since some of the back alleys are relatively narrow, the design would be limited by the width of back alleys. The elevated public space would be suggested to create public space. For example, The Keret House by Jakub Szczesny and the project of \u201clive Between Buildings\u201d by Mateusz Mastalski and Ole Robin Storjohann. Although the projects are not for public spaces, the idea is that the house can be built between the buildings. The existing buildings provide lateral support while a public space is developed vertically. In this method, it does not connect to both sides of building.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Figure 3. Keret House by Jakub Szczesny<\/p>\n