This document summarizes a lecture given at Tianjin University on the Chinese way of building cities. It discusses research done at McGill University comparing urban structure in Beijing and Montreal at the scale of one square kilometer. The research looks at density, land use, street networks, and block sizes. In Beijing, land is divided into large mixed-use residential compounds, while Montreal has lower densities and more separation of uses. The lecture explores how these differences shape urban form and community life.

1. Lecture at Tianjin University, School of Architecture, 24 May 2016
The Chinese Way of Building Cities

2. ARCH521: Structure of Cities, Fall Term 2014
One Sq.Km.: A BEIJING – MONTREAL COMPARISON
http://www.slideshare.net/qiaokate/one-sqkm-a-beijing-montreal-comparison
OR
http://issuu.com/mcgillarchitecture/docs/one_sq.km._beijing___montreal_compa
ARCH 540: Selected Topics, Winter Term, 2015
ONE SQ. KM. / SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
http://www.slideshare.net/qiaokate/onesqkm-civic-centres-20150427
OR
http://issuu.com/mcgillarchitecture/docs/onesqkm_civic_centres_20150427
This presentation summarizes research done at McGill University, Fall Term 2014, called:
One Sq.Km.: A BEIJING – MONTREAL COMPARISON

3. Research done at McGill University, Fall Term 2014

4. Research done at McGill University, Fall Term 2014

5. One Square Kilometer Study Areas Beijing , East of
East Second Ring Road

6. The average Plot Ratio (FAR) of the whole large urban block shown above is 2.1, about
double the equivalent area in the Plateau Areas of Montreal (1.1) and about 6 times the
density of a Montreal suburb.

7. The Plot Ratio (FAR) of the area inside the red boundary (about 1.0 sq.km.)
is about 1.1
Montreal Study Area, The Plateau:
Downtown Residential

8. The Plot Ratio (FAR) of the area inside the yellow boundary (about 1.0 sq.km.)
is about 0.35
Montreal Study Area: Brossard Suburbs

9. City Structure and the Shape of Community
1. Density
2. Land Use
3. Street Network and Spatial Order
4. Block Size

10. City Structure and the Shape of Community
1. Density
2. Land Use
3. Street Network and Spatial Order
4. Block Size

11. Beijing, One Sq. KM (FAR: 2.02)

12. Montreal Downtown Residential, One Sq. KM (FAR 1.17)

13. Montreal Suburb, One Sq. KM. (FAR: 0.35)

14. Beijing Study Area Streetscape

15. Montreal “Downtown” Study Area Streetscape

16. Montreal Suburb Study Area Streetscape

17. Sample Population Densities: Red is Asia, Blue is Europe, Green is North America
Gross FAR of one sq. km. around 1.0 is the threshold of walkability.
Below that the city is increasingly car-dependent.

18. City Structure and the Shape of Community
1. Density
2. Land Use
3. Street Network and Spatial Order
4. Block Size

19. Transition from an extended family compound (the coutyard house)
to a multi-family compond (modern housing estate):
The courtyard is a deep-seated Eastern pattern, that is persisting and
re-appearing - at a larger scale and higher density - in the residential
compounds that are the basic building blocks of China’s recent urban
explosion. The social scale has also expanded. The courtyard house
was originally designed for the extended family; the new residential
compound courtyards are for a neighbourhood, an emerging and
increasingly self-managed urban territory and social unit.

20. Beijing: Land Divided into Multi-family Componds
Sun City

21. Land-Use Mix: Beijing
Beijing: Highly Mixed Use, very Walkable
Sun City

22. CHINA
Contemporary Land Use Pattern
reminiscent of the Socialist Work Unit (Danwei)
Highly Mixed Use, very Walkable

23. An Example of a Work Unit: Tianjin University Campus, 1985, Mixed Use, Very Walkable

24. No Gated Communities
in this study area.
In the west, “Gated Community”
suggests privilege and elitism.
In China all social classes live
In the same residential
compound type.
Montreal (Plateau Area)
Relativey High Density
Mixed Use, Walkable

25. Ironically, the retail on this site
is actually
car sales showrooms.
Montreal Suburb
Very Low Mix of Land Use
Not Walkable

26. City Structure and the Shape of Community
1. Density
2. Land Use
3. Street Network and Spatial Order
4. Block Size

27. Chinese Spatial Order
The semi-private or semi-public space courtyard space,
belonging to an extended family or a group of residential buildings,
allows family activities and social interaction to occur in that space.
Residential

28. Western Spatial Order
The semi-private or semi-public space courtyard space,
belonging to an extended family or a group of residential buildings,
usually does not exist. The transition from the dwelling to the
public street is more direct.

29. Beijing Study Area, Street Network Hierarchy

30. Beijing Study Area, Small Dead-end Lanes

31. 1 sq.km. Area, Street Network Hierarchy

32. 1 sq.km. Area, Street Network Hierarchy,
Small Dead/Loop Roads, bicycle/pedestrian paths (green) traverse and
link each block

33. Western Spatial Order
The semi-private or semi-public space courtyard space,
belonging to an extended family or a group of residential buildings,
usually does not exist. The transition from the dwelling to the
public street is more direct.

34. Montreal Downtown Residential Study Area, Street Network Hierarchy, Open Grid

35. Montreal Study Area, Street Network Hierarchy, Small Open-ended Lanes

36. Montreal Suburb Study Area, Street Network Hierarchy

37. Montreal Suburb Beijing Study Area, Street Network Hierarchy, Small Loop Roads

38. Chinese Spatial Order
The semi-private or semi-public space courtyard space,
belonging to an extended family or a group of residential buildings,
allows family activities and social interaction to occur in that space.
Residential

39. Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Major Arterial Road

40. Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Major Arterial Road

41. Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Arterial Road, Sidewalk

42. Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Secondary Road

43. Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Tertiary Road

44. Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Small Road

45. Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Small Road

46. Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates

47. Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates

48. Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates

49. Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates

50. Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates

51. Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates

52. Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates:
Pedestrians can squeeze through a gate in the gate

53. Inside Neighbourhood Garden/Yard, Near the Entrance

54. Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

55. Communal Neighbourhood Activity
Location of
residents
shown in the
previous four
images
Location of
residents
shown in the
next four
images. (Five
storey walk-up
apartments)

56. Social Mix
Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

57. Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

58. Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

59. Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

60. Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

61. Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

62. Location of a Residential Courtyard Compound called Sun City
in Beijing (East of East Second Ring Road)
with four towers, 24 floors each.
My home since 2003.

63. Beijing, Yang Guang Du Shi (Sun City) Residential District (2.4 h. inside the red line)
Big enough for Communal Neighbourhood Activity

64. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District Garden/Yard

65. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District Garden/Yard

66. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District Garden/Yard

67. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District Garden/Yard

68. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District Garden/Yard

69. Beijing, Yang Guang Du Shi Residential District Garden/Yard – English Corner

70. Streets: Hierarchy, Arterial Road
The location of the Sun City
Residential Compound activity
is on the other side,
at the base of, this building.

71. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District. Summer, 2016
Preparation for the formation of a Residents Committee, the beginning of self-management

72. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District,
first, newly-formed Residents Committee. Population of the district is about 300 people.
The beginnings of neighbourhood self-management.
The residents can now hire or fire the property management company.

73. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District,
first, newly-formed Residents Committee
Vote to chose a new property management company.
October 2017

74. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District,
first, newly-formed Residents Committee
Vote to chose a new property management company.
October 2017

75. Typical Residential Districts in China

77. Western Spatial Order
The semi-private or semi-public space courtyard space,
belonging to an extended family or a group of residential buildings,
usually does not exist. The transition from the dwelling to the
public street is more direct.

78. Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)

79. Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)

80. Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)

81. Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)

82. Montreal Plateau
Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)

83. Montreal PlateauMontreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)

84. Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)

85. Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)
Temporary Summer Street Closure for Communal Activity

86. Montreal Plateau
Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)
Life in the Street

87. Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)
Life in the Street

88. Montreal Plateau
Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)
Small Back Lanes (Alleys)

91. Montreal Downtown Residential (FAR 1.17)
Life in the Back Lane (Alley)

92. Beijing Residential Semi-Private Social Space is usually not
found in the open-street land-use system of the West.

93. Beijing Residential Semi-Private Social Space is usually not
found in the open-street land-use system of the West.

94. The Yards in these buildings (Paris) are usually light wells,
not social space

95. The Yards in these buildings (Rome) are usually light wells,
not social space

96. The Yards in these buildings (Copenhagan) are usually light
wells, not social space

97. The Yards in these buildings (Venice) are usually light wells,
not social space

98. Chinese Spatial Order
Western Spatial Order

99. Small-Scale Courtyard for the Extended Family

100. Location of
residents
shown in the
previous four
images
Large-Scale Courtyard for the Urban Neighbourhood
Polouation, about 2000 people living on 2.4 h. of land = 830 people/hectare

101. The western city normally does not have common outdoor space assigned to a group of households.
Population density about 300 to 400 people/hectare.

102. City Structure and the Shape of Community
1. Density
2. Land Use
3. Street Network and Spatial Order
4. Block Size

104. Large Super-Blocks
for through traffic
with narrow hutongs.
Traditonally
the hutongs were gated,
now they are open.

105. Central Beijing: Traditional Large City Blocks

106. Block Size Comparison: Beijing at the top, Manhattan below

107. Block Sizes
of some Western Cities

108. Beijing, Nan Xin Yuan Residential District, My design, 1993
Beijing’s First Social Housing Project

109. Beijing, Nan Xin Yuan Residential District 1993, 10.2 hectares

110. Construction Area: 222,000 sq.m.
Plot Ratio: 2.16
Population Density: 777 people/hectare
Beijing, Nan Xin Yuan
Residential District 1993
Pin-wheel Street pattern
designed to slow down
through traffic.
However,
property management
closed
all perimeter
street intersections
except at the north
where gates and guards
were installed.
Beijing’s First Social Housing Project

111. Entrances all face a common yard to encourage neighbour interaction

112. Nan Xin Yuan is in the southeast (bottom right) corner. The pin-wheel interior street
pattern divides the 15 hectare block into a central 1 hectare park, and four smaller blocks
of 3, 5, 3, and 2 hectares.

113. Beijing, Yang Guang Du Shi (Sun City) Residential District (2.4 h. inside red line)
Big enough for Communal Neighbourhood Activity
I lived here from 2003

114. Beijing, Ju Er Hu Tong Phase 2, Residential District (0.6 hectares inside red line)
I lived here from 1993-2002

115. Ju Er Hutong
Courtyard Regeneration Project
Beijing
Winner of UN Habitat Award

117. Cliff Moughtin, Emeritus Professor of Planning at the University of Nottingham,
believes too large a block destroys city life.
"The larger and more homogenous the street block the greater will be its
power to destroy the social, economic, and physical networks of the city.
The large-scale single-use, single-ownership street block is the instrument
most influential in the decline of the city: its effect, together with that
of its partner the motorcar, are among the real causes of
the death of the great city."
[1] Cliff Moughtin, Urban Design: Green Dimensions, 1996, Architectural Press, P.138
The Chinese large block residential compounds are criticized by western planners
for creating traffic problems, and for reducing life in the streets.

118. The Chinese large block residential compounds are criticized by western planners
for creating traffic problems, and for reducing life in the streets.

119. The Chinese large block residential compounds are criticized by western planners
for creating traffic problems, and for reducing life in the streets.

120. Not all foreign planners are against the Chinese residential compound pattern. Below is a statement
by Jeff Johnson at the China Lab at Columbia that focuses on the Chinese super block
as a potentially positive force in urban planning and social order.

121. The Barcelona Friendly Superblock Experiment
Combine 9 original blocks to make one superblock.
The size of the Barcelona superblock (about 16 hectares)
is similar in size the Chinese residential neighbourhood superblock.
The main difference is the degree of porosity.
The Barcelona superblock is open to through-traffic for pedestrians and cyclists.
The Chinese urban superblock is closed to through-traffic pedestrians and cyclists.

122. The main difference is the degree of porosity.
The Barcelona superblock is open to through-traffic for pedestrians and cyclists.
The Chinese urban superblock is closed to through-traffic pedestrians and cyclists.
The Barcelona Friendly Superblock Experiment

123. The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks (Total: 16 hectares)
Before, all traffic went everywhere.

124. The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks (Total: 16 hectares)
Now, through car traffic is diverted to the perimeter and only local traffic goes inside the 400x400m block.

125. The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks (Total: 16 hectares)
If we add a shared garden/yard in the middle it starts to look like a Chinese urban super-block.

126. The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks (Total: 16 hectares)
A 16 hectare block is similar to a Chinese urban super-block. Each of the smaller 1.8 hectare
blocks is large enough for an internal semi-private shared social space.

127. The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks
If we add common facilities such as kindergarten, infirmary, senior’s center, residents committee office,
(Chinese “pei tao”) at the center we get an even stronger resemblance to a Chinese Residential Compound.

128. Thank you!谢谢!