City Conservation and Urban Villages in China - A Case Study of Design and Planning Method in Urban Village Renovation Project in Kunming City

During the last two decades of rapid urban development in China, Chinese cities expanded their boundaries significantly. Many villages that used to locate at the outskirt of cities have found that they are surrounded by the newly built up urban environment. The emergence of urban villages as the unique phenomenon during the
urbanization of China has become a hot issue due to the social problems they brought in. With the implement of urban village renovation projects, a great number of demolition and construction have brought huge pressure on environment and society.
Furthermore, the urban village renovation projects can lead to the situation that urban
diversity is erased by the emergence of a large number of brand new and similar residential areas. Facing the challenge of the new construction projects and impact on living environment, this study aims to investigate how we can improve the current design and planning methods on urban village renovation projects to achieve sustainability of urban development in city Kunming of Yunnan province, Southwest
China. So the new built residential area will not be turned into the new urban village in the future.

In the dissertation, following the discussions of the historical urban development of Kunming, the history and unique features of urban development in Kunming are expounded to form a detailed understanding of the city. By analyzing two case studies of urban village renovation projects, the research has explored the advantages and disadvantages of current design and planning methods used in the city. It has used the
sustainable development criteria from the UK, such as BREEAM for Community, as reference to explore the urban development in a Chinese city. Through questionnaire surveys, this research studies the needs of local residents and the current situation of urban villages. In conclusion, the dissertation suggests alternative methods of designing and planning for urban villages in China.