Small urban green space for restorative value in a sub-tropical Asian city

A worldwide tendency in the contemporary society is the increasing urbanization and simultaneously, urban population is facing more health and well-being issues. Urban green spaces may promote the health state of urban population since the urban nature can facilitate mental fatigue restoration, stress recovery and social interaction. Thus, the demand for green space for restorative value in urban areas is increasing. In the developed dense urban areas, the large green spaces are very limited. Small green spaces, such as pocket parks, sitting-out areas, courtyards, and roof gardens, can satisfy residents' desire of urban nature. A few cities, such as New York, Hong Kong and Copenhagen, have treated small green spaces as important components of the urban areas. This project selected Zhonghua Sub-district, an urban core area in a sub-tropical Asian city, Xiamen, as the target area. Currently, 67.5 percent of the population in Zhonghua Sub-district can frequently visit an urban green space. The scheme of the project can allow more than 90 percent of the population to have daily access, either physically or visually, to an urban green space.Thesis (M.L.A.