High-rise Housing Estates Research Articles

北京高層住宅団地における子どもの戸外遊び空間の変遷からみた特徴に関する研究

Based on the historical transition about the high-rise housing estate and outdoor play space in Beijing, this study began to analyze the outdoor play space in high-rise housing estate from a viewpoint of play space. Then this study analyzed the linear space (access road) and planar space of 50 space maps at an exploratory level, the analysis indexes were road safety, space spaciousness degree and the possibility of "being seen". Finally we got several findings as follows to reflect the characteristic about transition of childrens outdoor play space in high-rise housing estate of Beijing: About the planning of road in high rise housing estates, from the later period of 1990s, there is a trend of separation of pedestrians and vehicles, which is also an uptrend of road safety in open space; Also from the later period of 1990s, the high housing estates sample with high spread of play space and road safety, began to appear and increase. In a whole, there is a trend that the thinking about road safety is more deficient than spread of play space; About the location relationship with residence building, the mainstream of public green space zone is being-enclosed type, which can be taken as a condition on "being seen" and is good for play safety.

Property-based redevelopment and gentrification: The case of Seoul, South Korea

The urban experiences of South Korea in times of its rapid urbanisation and economic growth show that wholesale redevelopment had been a dominant approach to urban renewal, leading to redevelopment-induced gentrification. This was led by a programme known as the Joint Redevelopment Programme, transforming urban space that was once dominated by informal settlements into high-rise commercial housing estates. This paper tries to explain how this approach was possible at city-wide scale in its capital city, Seoul. Through the examination of redevelopment processes in a case study neighbourhood, it puts forward three arguments. First, the development potential arising from the rent gap expansion through under-utilisation of dilapidated neighbourhoods provided material conditions for the sustained implementation of property-based redevelopment projects. Second, this paper critically examines the dynamics of socio-political relations among various property-based interests embedded in redevelopment neighbourhoods, and argues that external property-based interests have enabled the full exploitation of development opportunities at the expense of poor owner-occupiers and tenants. Third, South Korea had been noted for its strong developmental state with minimum attention to redistributive social policies. The Joint Redevelopment Programme in Seoul was effectively a market-oriented, profit-led renewal approach, in line with a national housing strategy that favoured increased housing production and home-ownership at the expense of local poor residents’ housing needs.

Industrial experience and research into the causes of SARS virus transmission in a high-rise residential housing estate in Hong Kong

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 triggered concerns regarding the ability of buildings to resist disease transmission. In particular, the outbreak that occurred in the high-rise residential blocks in the Amoy Gardens housing estate, sounded an alarm to the local practice of design, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance of building services systems. Virus transmission through the vertical drainage stack is believed to have been one of the causes of disease transmission in Amoy Gardens. In this paper, the authors share their experiences and research findings on the building drainage system. The paper includes a review of the outbreak incident in Amoy Gardens; and of the observations and site measurements of foul air and water back flow in the drainage system of another vacant high-rise residential housing estate. In addition, tracer gas measurements were studied in order to verify the upwards flow of air in the vertical stack. These field studies allow comparisons between the gas flow from the drainage system to the living accommodation, and confirm the hypothesized infection route. Finally, the authors make recommendations on the proper design and operation of high-rise building drainage systems. Practical application: Sanitary drainage systems form a critical engineering component in maintaining hygienic conditions in buildings. In fact the issue has been addressed over several hundreds of years, for example during the Black Death outbreak worldwide. Despite this, the SARS outbreak demonstrates that there is still room for improvement on the safety of soil waste disposal in buildings. The findings in this paper shed light on the understanding of the outbreak in Hong Kong, and on the critical aspects to avoid performance failure in soil waste disposal.

Making a Community Network Sustainable: The Future of the Wired High Rise

Much time and money has been committed by governments, private business, and the third sector over the last 5 years in establishing opportunities for underserved populations to gain access to new forms of information and communication technologies, in an effort to overcome the so-called “digital divide.” This article traces the efforts that have been made to establish a networked community at a single high-rise public housing estate in inner Melbourne, Australia, and considers some of the potential opportunities for and barriers to ensuring the continuity of the network, which is large, complex, costly, and potentially fragile, into the future.

The ambiguity of urban renewal in France: Between continuity and rupture

The term urban renewal was introduced in France in the Loi solidarite et renouvellement urbains (Loi SRU) of December 13th, 2000. Until then, terms like renovation, reconstruction, recycling or refurbishment were used to indicate similar phenomena. Is the introduction of a new term only an innovation in vocabulary, or does it imply new orientations, conceptions and practices? It appears that ever since its introduction in 2000, the notion of urban renewal has been subject to variations in its meaning and in its implementation. A double regime of urban renewal exists. On the one hand, there are the operations officially labelled as urban renewal, which benefit from central state subsidies. These operations aim at a social urban development, and almost exclusively concern the so-called quartiers sensibles, large high-rise housing estates in the banlieus. On the other hand, there are more market-driven, locally initiated and realised operations of regeneration of derelict and run-down areas of the city.

Recent development of Slovene towns - social structure and transformation

In Slovene towns and urban areas several processes of social transformation and change have been present in the last decade. As a consequence of political and economic transition increased social differentiation resulted in increased social segregation in urban areas. Some areas such as high-rise housing estates and part of older inner city areas were affected by social degradation and concentration of low-income population and ethnical minorities. In some parts of inner cities processes of reurbanisation and gentrification are taking place. However, the degree of social segragation is lower than in the cities of most transitional countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Recent development of Slovene towns - social structure and transformation

In Slovene towns and urban areas several processes of social transformation and change have been present in the last decade. As a consequence of political and economic transition increased social differentiation resulted in increased social segregation in urban areas. Some areas such as high-rise housing estates and part of older inner city areas were affected by social degradation and concentration of low-income population and ethnical minorities. In some parts of inner cities processes of reurbanisation and gentrification are taking place. However, the degree of social segragation is lower than in the cities of most transitional countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Multi-zone modeling of probable SARS virus transmission by airflow between flats in Block E, Amoy Gardens

More than 300 residents of a private high-rise housing estate were infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome within a short period during the 2003 epidemic in Hong Kong. The outbreak occurred after the identified index patient visited a flat on a middle floor in Block E of the Amoy Gardens estate on two nights. Approximately 45% of the subsequently infected people resided in Block E, while the other 55% of infected cases mainly resided in six other blocks close to Block E. The distribution of the infected flats in Block E conformed to a non-uniform spatial pattern. Probable environmental causes for airborne transmission associated with the air movements between flats in Block E are identified. The well-established multi-zone airflow modeling method was used to analyze the virus-laden bio-aerosol dispersion between flats through door and window leakage areas in Block E under six different scenarios. The distribution of infection risk in Block E matched with the virus concentrations in flats predicted with the use of multi-zone modeling. Our study shows the importance of ventilation design in high-rise residential apartments. The present study on the Amoy Gardens outbreak presented a scenario in which crowded living spaces might lead to infection disasters. There is a need to improve the current sanitary drainage design and maintenance standards to avoid any leakage of foul gas into the indoor environments. Our study revealed the need for a review of indoor air quality and ventilation design in buildings including offices, homes and hotels. The study has implications to public health in, for example, the control of other airborne respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza, and in bio-terror safety in buildings.

The creation of the incapable social tenant in Flanders, Belgium. An appraisal

As long as the social rented sector housed traditional families and the allo- cation procedures were rather loose, there was little commotion about the sector. A combination of a change in family structures, economic changes, and the strengthening of allocation procedures in favour of those most in need did change perceptions. Marginalisation and ghettoisation, especially of high-rise social housing estates, became buzzwords. This paper deals with the causes of these changes and with their implica- tions. The marginalisation discourse calls for enlarging the target groups and estate- specific allocation procedures (to obtain a 'social mix'). It illustrates a profound desire to diminish the number of ethnic minorities, single parents, single-person households and all kinds of people with a weak income profile who gain access to social rental housing. Furthermore, this discourse is reaching a crescendo: after it was started in the early 1990s by staff members of local social housing companies, it passed through the union of the social housing companies, the umbrella organisation of the sector, and parliament, reaching its greatest momentum so far in early 2002 when it was adopted by the Flemish housing minister. The counterpoint to this negative discourse is the high degree of satisfaction among social tenants, as observed in a study carried out in 1999. In our paper we will try to explain the background of these opposing trends and the possible consequences for the social rental housing in general and for tenants in par- ticular.

Urbano-geografsko proučevanje blokovskih stanovanjskih sosesk kot element urbanističnega planiranja

V prispevku je predstavljena raziskava o odnosu prebivalstva blokovskih stanovanjskih sosesk v Ljubljani do svojega bivalnega okolja in možnosti njene uporabe v urbanističnem planiranju. Namen raziskave je s pomočjo anketiranja prebivalstva izbranih blokovskih stanovanjskih sosesk ugotoviti značilnosti zaznavanja in vrednotenja svojega bivalnega okolja, izbire lokacije in tipa stanovanja ter potencialne selitvene mobilnosti.

A társadalmi kirekesztés és a lakótelepek

A rendszerváltozás után az egyes lakótelepi generációk lakásai eltérő eséllyel indultak a lakáspiacon és léptek be a privatizációs folyamatba. A lakásárak szabályozó hatására a lakótelepek különböző generációinak népességében megindult egyfajta „letisztulási” folyamat, amelynek követeztében ezen generációknál – több kísérőjelenséggel együtt – egyre inkább felismerhető az egységes lakásosztályokká történő átalakulás folyamata.

Characteristics of post-socialist urban transformation in East Central Europe

The development of the post-socialist city has already been characterised by substantial restructuring processes. Particular emphasis should be drawn to the take-off of the tertiary sector and the comprehensive blight phenomena in the previously industrial areas. The urban housing sector has witnessed increasing housing affordability problems, a marginalisation of communal housing stock, an increase of segregation and an intensification of the decay in the old housing stock. In all East Central European states the spatial development processes of industry and services within the cities basically show clear parallels to the pattern of urban development in continental Europe. In Hungary housing policy, tenure structure and the level of segregation already show relatively closer similarities to the neoliberal, Anglo–American pattern of development. The other ECE states show closer similarities to the corporatist welfare states of continental Europe. As far as medium-term urban development in East Central Europe is concerned, it is to be assumed that – regardless of the specific path of further development – overall solutions shall not be found for the fundamental problems which are the legacy of the socialist era – the decay of old housing stock, large scale derelict industrial areas and the extent and deficiencies of high-rise housing estates.

Analysis of the urban thermal environment with LANDSAT data

Research was carried out with two dates of thermal satellite imagery and field climatic data in six high-rise housing estates in Singapore to investigate the relationship between satellite-derived values and the urban microclimate. GIS techniques were used to register the image data for two detailed study areas to digital plans of street and building outlines, including street canyons at different orientations to solar azimuth, and detailed comparisons between image data and urban morphology were undertaken. A method is described for enhancing the image spatial resolution to an appropriate level for evaluating the thermal character of individual streets, buildings and building complexes, and roadside trees. Field data obtained in two street canyons at the same time of year as the image data suggest a significant relationship between surface and air temperature and suggest that the satellite view of the high-rise urban environment in the study area is representative.

Tussockosis: an outbreak of dermatitis caused by tussock moths in Singapore

An outbreak of acute pruritic rash occurred in March 1990 among 141 residents of a high-rise public housing estate in Bukit Panjang, Singapore. The typical rash consisted of urticarial lesions distributed over the limbs and trunk. The outbreak was associated with a transient increase in tussock moths in the residential estate following an unusual, short dry spell. The aetiology was established when patch tests with crude moth material produced similar eruptions in 5 out of 7 adult volunteers between 40 min and 12 h. Pharmacological experiments with an aqueous extract of moth hairs in isolated guinea pig ileum elicited a response similar to that induced by histamine.

Post-war public high-rise housing estates: What went wrong with housing policy, with the design and with management?

Post-war public high-rise housing estates: What went wrong with housing policy, with the design and with management?

High-rise housing estates and the concentration of poverty

High-rise housing estates and the concentration of poverty

The Relocation of Villagers into Public Housing: Some Suggestive Findings from a Singaporean Stud*1

AbstractThe relocation of villagers into modern high-rise housing estates is, in most countries, the exception rather than the rule. The urbanization of rural populations is, more typically, a gradual process. Rural migrants first settle in inner-city slums and squatter areas of the urban fringe, where they are often able to maintain some of the living arrangements and patterns of social organization which are characteristically rural Only after additional movements within these areas of first settlement, and after sufficient time had elapsed to allow for some assimilation into urban life, will some of the migrants, or their descendants, move into high rise public housing estates. This form of housing is, in many respects, the ultimate in urban living. It is characterized by nuclear families, occupying rigidly defined space, living among strangers, and subject to bureaucratic rules and controls. However, the fact that families typically move to housing estates after having experienced some form of urban living may ease the transition. Also, the fact that slum dwellings are often of physically inferior quality compared to estate housing3 may increase the willingness of new residents to accept some of the constraints of estate living.