IN-PERSON Manchester Livable Cities

Abstract

As part of its strategy to build Livable Cities, the Chinese government has been conducting a nationwide “Garden City” selection campaign since the 1990s. After more than three decades of development, this initiative has evolved from “Garden City” to a higher version of “Ecological and Garden City” at both the national and provincial levels. Through policy guidance, top-down administrative promotion, and financial investment by the government, the “Garden City” movement has had a tremendous impact on the construction of urban human settlements in China, bringing significant social and environmental benefits and laying a solid foundation for the construction of Chinese Livable Cities, among which urban greenspaces are an indispensable component of the multi-dimensional and multi-level livable urban environment system. From the perspective of greenspaces construction in Garden Cities, the content related to Livable Cities mainly includes: greenspace coverage (the national Garden City standard typically requires ≥36%); equitable distribution of parks (achieving “300 meters to pocket parks, 500 meters to a community park”, with a park service radius coverage ≥80%); diversity and functional complexity of greenspaces (a complete park system that meets the needs of different types of leisure activities and different age groups); biodiversity (providing habitats for wildlife and creating stable plant communities); and sponge city functions (greenspaces can absorb rainwater and alleviate urban flooding, thereby achieving ecological regulation) , and many other aspects. To better understand these recreational, ecological, and environmental functions and structures of urban greenspaces in the context of Garden City evaluations, we propose an approach and methodological framework based on urban greenspace morphology. As a representation of urban physical environment, urban greenspace morphology is a powerful tool for understanding the quantity, distribution, and structure of