U&j-turn renewal: Rurban design based on context dimension

Abstract

With the context of globalization, urbanization cloud be regarded as the synonym to development nowadays. China like other developing countries has experienced huge social settlement transformation. During the process of urban sprawl, the distinction in-between urban and rural has been disappearing. Migration from rural to urban areas, expansion from urban to rural, and rural decline are likely to be the three main important factors contributing to the urbanization. So much attention has been paid to the urban while ignoring the focus on rural areas, and it is really a major issue that how to tackle with the development in-between urban and rural in China. The research object of this essay is how to tackle with the regional development in-between urban and rural, namely rurban design. Patrick Geddes, the Scottish pioneering town planner, introduced the regional concept to architecture design and coined the term “conurbation” which is the initial concept of rurban in 1915. Rurban area appeared in Japan from the 1960s to 1970s, and many problems emerged during the bubble era ten years later. Rurban turns (U-turn and J-turn) could be considered as the new attempt of rurban design in Japan after the 1990s. These rurban turns are new emerging regions that are governed by rural locals, the activities possess in these areas are urban in nature. With the method of literature consulting, field studies and comparative analysis from the west, Japan and China, it explores rurban design reflecting the interwoven social fabric under the perspective of history and context, especially remodeling the humanistic and historical communities. This article attempts to establish the further understanding of renewal region in-between urban and rural area, generalize the rurban design strategies, and hope it could be a reference for upcoming new urban and rural development.