Use and spatial patterns of newly developed public squares in urban villages in Shenzhen

This paper investigates the use and spatial patterns of newly developed public squares in urban villages in the City of Shenzhen, China. Given the lack of information about how this type of public space has been used by the Chinese, this paper provides insights that enable the development of more user friendly public space in China. The research is based on the fieldwork carried out in 2014 to examine public squares in four urban villages in Shenzhen. Direct observation and activity mapping have been used as major methodology for this research. The focus of this paper will be placed not only the formal aspects such as the design aspiration, scale and provision of public amenity, but also on the usage that includes types of users, there daily activity as well as their location preference.