The Europeaness of Chinese Urban Public Open Space

Many small new urban public open spaces (POS) were created in the 20th century, both in the east and in the west. Normal practice in modern China is to forget Chinese traditions and to adopt western traditions with little understanding of the historical contexts which gave rise to western open space types. This has led to the design of similar spaces all over China. They look western and, despite the high density of Chinese cities, their use intensity is lower than for equivalent spaces in the west. China has its own history of POS design and uses, which does not get the attention it deserves from Chinese planners and designers. They need a greater awareness of Chinese urban history of the types of POS which were made in historic times. This article follows from a research comparison of small planning, design, and use in China and the UK. It reviews the history of the main types of POS in ancient Chinese and European cities and makes suggestions for future POS design and planning