Effects of open space on neighbourly social interaction : the case of Hong Kong

Abstract

As a Global city, overall neighborly social interactions in Hong Kong are quite low. People living in community merely interact with each other and not sustain neighborliness. Social interactions in neighborhood level contribute the feelings of belonging and sense of community which are important factors to build up social capital. According to environment psychology, physical environment is a crucial mechanism to influence social interaction. Then open space as focal point of neighborhood environment may have important effects on neighborly social interaction. The goal of this dissertation is to examine the inter-connection of open space and social interaction and provide better open space planning strategies and design principles to boost neighborly social interaction. Firstly open space’s effect in social interaction is identified in theoretical framework. Then current open space planning and social interaction pattern of Hong Kong are reviewed in empirical background. Based on theoretical framework and empirical background, analysis of this study is launched with case studies of two public housing estate. The analysis is divided into two parts. First part is to confirm that open space with good quality could be act as catalyst to boost neighborly social interaction. Second part is to discover appropriate design of open space to stimulate social interaction. Then recommendations are provided, including strategies for establishing comprehensive open space planning and open space design guideline in terms of enhancing social interaction.