Reclaim the public realm: the comparative analysis of the physical form and use of neighborhood open spaces in Seattle, Kuwait City and Xi'an (original) (raw)

Neighborhood open spaces are the most frequently used public spaces by people in an urban community, as one of the most fundamental factors that influence the quality of urban life and the shape of urban identity. The basic features of urban forms within a city are heavily relied upon the spatial composition and culture representation of its neighborhood open spaces. However, people's engagement with neighborhood open spaces is complicated and often affected by various factors. As a result, it is critical to understand whether the spatial composition of neighborhood open spaces are more defined by their physical and functional properties or are more shaped by different cultural practices and life styles. This paper compares the spatial and physical forms of neighborhood opens spaces from three cities: Seattle (the US), Kuwait City (Kuwait), and Xi'an (China), each of which has around four million urban population and is socially, politically and economically significant in its region, representing three case studies from different cultures, and climatic and geographical contexts. Employing survey, interview and field observation, this paper explains the similarities and differences in terms of spatial forms of neighborhood open spaces and also identifies a number of variables that impact the performance and visual perception of neighborhood open spaces and in turn influence the composition of urban forms.