Towards Sustainable Urban Redevelopment: Urban Design Informed by Morphological Patterns and Ecologies of Informal Settlements

Abstract

Informal settlements, as prevalent neighbourhood types in rapidly transforming cities, possess high-density and heterogeneous morphological patterns. They provide affordable housing and employment opportunities for low-income populations while also supporting cities' operation and development. As China's pioneering special economic zone, Shenzhen exemplifies this situation as its informal settlements, namely urban villages, house over half of its total population. However, the morphological characteristics of these urban enclaves and their environmental effects on the city have yet to be systematically investigated. Through evaluating pedestrian urban heat island intensity (PUHII), outdoor thermal comfort level (UTCI) and street-canyon ventilation capacity (VRw), this chapter analyzes morphological characteristics and environmental effects of three representative typologies of urban villages in Shenzhen and cross-compared with other urban morphological patterns. Ultimately, the ‘four shared elements’ of urban village neighbourhood (UVN) are conceptualized and elaborated, which provides insights into sustainable urban design.