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Citation |
Nagamune S, Kinoshita H. J. Archit. Plann. 2016; 81(722): 933-942. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2016, Architectural Institute of Japan) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
unavailable |
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Abstract |
Hong Kong has been rapidly developed as a trading city since become a British colony. Currently, north coast of Hong Kong Island is a high-rise and high-density city around the Chung Wan area. In Hong Kong Island, steep mountain is adjacent to the city. In Central & Western District of Hong Kong Island, pedestrian paths play an important role to make space patterns based on the steep slope of hillside. There are many buildings not facing driveway in urban blocks with pedestrian paths, and that afford various commercial activities. In this study, it is assumed that these pedestrian paths are important elements that characterize the urban blocks. Therefore, the purposes of this study are following 3 things. (1) Pedestrian paths were classified according to their morphological characteristics. (2) Urban blocks were classified according to patterns of pedestrian paths. (3) Classified urban blocks were compared by contained building's entrance and type of land use. The following 4 things become clear. (1) As Characteristics of 63pedestrian paths, approximately half of pedestrian paths have a wide width over 4.5m. There are stairs to the many pedestrian paths and have a variety of cross sections. There is a difference in the shapes of the pedestrian paths among the area. There are many dead-end streets, within the neat-shaped urban blocks in Sai Wan area. In Sheung Wan areas near the mountains, there are a lot of streets connecting the pedestrian paths, thereby producing more complicated pedestrian spaces. (2) 35 urban blocks were classified into type of penetration, type of dead-end path, type of concomitance, according to patterns of pedestrian path. By the classification, the ground levels of buildings in the inner sides of the city blocks are differently used. It was clear that, the most number of the entrances were in type of concomitance. The most number of the entrances of shop were in type of penetration and type of concomitance, the most of the entrances of houses were in type of penetration and type of dead-end path. (3) 18 urban blocks have buildings not facing driveways located inside the urban blocks, type of concomitance most have it. There is a tendency that more entrances of shops and residences in such city blocks having a building not facing driveway, compared with urban blocks not having such a building. It can be said that a building not facing a driveway plays such a role in the city block space configuration that the building allows various retailing shops and residences to be on the ground level in the inner sides of the urban blocks. (4) By connected pedestrian paths of different urban blocks, were produced extensive pedestrian networks in the city. The pedestrian paths have been maintained for nearly 100 years even after the buildings have been scrapped and built. Thus networks of pedestrian paths should be recognized as the historical social infrastructure. Finally, pedestrian paths are valuable public and open space in high-density urban environment. They afford various commercial activities and buildings not facing driveways remain in the urban blocks. And wide pedestrian paths are utilized as the open terrace with deck and chairs. Language: ja |