Measuring Urban mixed-use conditions and their impact on street vitality: a mixed-method approach tested in the context of Hong Kong’s New Towns

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mixed land-use patterns have been associated with positive social outcomes such as increased access to jobs and services, improved health and neighbourhood-level quality of life. Despite this important influence, there is a lack of precise methods to quantify mixed land use conditions at district, block and street scales, and there are limited studies around the potential of new data-driven methods for analysing urban function mixing and its influence on neighbourhood vitality. The study presented here has explored how different methods of measuring mixed-use conditions can accurately reflect the experience of mixed-use and correlate with differences in urban street life. It has combined large-scale quantitative analysis with socio-economic indicators such as street store density and street vitality, to expand upon the traditional reviews of land use data and provide more detailed insights into the relationships between mixed urban functions, street vitality and community life. Using Sha Tin and Tin Shui Wai New Towns in Hong Kong as case studies, the findings reveal correlations between finer-grained mixed-use indices and street vitality, represented by the presence of optional social activities.