Why do some Chinese modern plazas, brand new and wide open space paved with expensive materials, attracts few people? Why do some old Italian streets, old yet narrow, turn into epicenter of liveliness unintentionally?

 

This is a research of desirable public spaces across cities I lived in Italy, France, US and China, a collection of drawings of spaces and moments. These early experiential research is foundational to my career development later on across design and business, as I push myself to understand all drivers behind such spaces on an urban level, and makes it a personal mission to align interest across all stakeholders to better create such experience.

 

The research started from an experiential questions I had at a young age. I began my systematic drawing documentations starting from a research fellowship I won in 2011. I lived around and hung out at many spaces I studied below, closely documenting human activities and spatial boundaries and scales. My question was simple: what makes a great human-experience at those distinct spaces? Is there anything local and contextual about them, and is there anything universal about them? 

​

My "human-based" research for desirable public space started through the lens of architecture and spaces in 2010, then it quickly became an urban-level question and drove me to study further into urban planning, policies, urban economics and real estate development. I started paying close attention to the mixing of various programs around the spaces, what drove the programs to be the way it is. It is foundational to my career paths across design and business. When I build financial models, I understand the importance to not just maximize the linear numeric outcome thanks to the early experiential and spatial studies. Most importantly, I also am able to craft strong investment thesis and align interests between investors, designers and users, thanks to my knowledge of great public spaces and the experiential, social and financial value it can add to stakeholders. 

 

Phase I : The Local. Starting from a phenomenological approach, I documented and analyzed how various landscapes cultivates various public and semi-public spaces: the plazas, piazzas, Calle, Campos, Scallas, Squares, Parks, Hutongs etc. 

​

Phase II: The Universal. Shifting from the regional typological differences, what are the common spatial features that enhances the quality of spatial experience and its potential to generate new programs? What are the articulated scale, material, boundary conditions that we can learn?