Urban Sustainability through Innovative Open Space Design. A Novel Approach to the Regeneration of Historic Open Spaces in Some Eastern European Countries and China

Albert Fekete,Daixin Dai,Katarzyna Hodor

doi:10.3390/earth2030024

Abstract

Looking at the urban development of the past two centuries, we can conclude that engineers and architects have been dominating the field of urban design all over Europe. Architects played the most important role, which became even more significant with the increase of urban development. Beyond the architectural approach, a greater importance had been attributed to ecological aspects of urban planning by the turn of the 20th century as, for example, the advance of the garden city movement illustrates. This article focuses on the review of crucial open-space renewal projects from two Eastern European cities and China. The case studies are used to shed light on the characteristics and historical values of contemporary open-space design, based on innovative and landscape architectural approaches and artistic solutions. The study shows that the original role of urban open spaces was significantly extended during the first decades of the 21st century. The increased needs for representation—commercial, cultural and living functions, and ecological and healthy benefits—led to a multifunctional approach in design and planning. The renewal of the historic urban open spaces is carried out under an integrated framework and a unified goal: the development-oriented heritage conservation. Based on strong economic aspects, the general tendency is clearly positive—in spite of still-existing problematic issues (for instance, the management of public transport or the status of public utilities). In the time of a growing awareness of open-space heritage, this overview tries to depict possible general principles of a long-term renewal strategy built on local identity, heritage values and social sustainability.

Highlights

Introduction published maps and institutional affilEnvironmental challenges of the past decades, such as global climate change, the issues of urban livability and responsible water management, have played an inevitable role in self-definition and acknowledgment of the landscape architecture profession, raising the value of the overarching, environmentally sensitive work of landscape architects in open-space design as well.The social context has changed a lot during the past two decades
Incomes and living standards after the affiliation with the European Union have considerably increased in Eastern European countries, to the economic growth of China starting in the 1990s—a phenomenon especially visible in some industrial and commercial centers such as Shanghai
Protection of unique urban character is a key element of the concept, from the perspective of landscape architecture

Summary

Introduction

Introduction published maps and institutional affilEnvironmental challenges of the past decades, such as global climate change, the issues of urban livability and responsible water management, have played an inevitable role in self-definition and acknowledgment of the landscape architecture profession, raising the value of the overarching, environmentally sensitive work of landscape architects in open-space design as well.The social context has changed a lot during the past two decades. Environmental challenges of the past decades, such as global climate change, the issues of urban livability and responsible water management, have played an inevitable role in self-definition and acknowledgment of the landscape architecture profession, raising the value of the overarching, environmentally sensitive work of landscape architects in open-space design as well. The social context has changed a lot during the past two decades. Incomes and living standards after the affiliation with the European Union have considerably increased in Eastern European countries, to the economic growth of China starting in the 1990s—a phenomenon especially visible in some industrial and commercial centers such as Shanghai. The social improvements caused a higher social expectation with regard to a livable and loveable urban environment. Issues of environmental quality have come into prominence for urban residents. The need for a natural environment, the iations

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