Exploring Composition of Urban Commerce Places Using Spacemate Density Measurements

Abstract

The urban planning system in Taiwan has relied on quantitative methods to address the control of land use and the spatial development capacity and density within cities The losing notion of ‘place’ as defining and clarifying spatial units that embody related and complete activities to support the main function and role of the place has caused more unanticipatedly spatial and functional disorders following the planning and zoning system within cities The research aims to redefine the descriptive ability of place towards the manifestation of functional characteristics and understand the relationship among activities building typologies and physical density of the built environment The study takes commercial places as the main research object since commercial activity has created various and diverse commercial places due to the functional role and service level within cities and the physical spatial demands itself and has profoundly influenced the way of urban living in social economic and physical aspects The method of defining places is based on the conclusion from previous definitions and the related analogies for places Spacemate a multivariate diagram developed by Meta Berghauser Pont and Per Haupt is later used as the main tool to examine the relationship between building typologies and development density indexes including ground space index floor space index open space ratio and floors which are also the main control subjects in Taiwan’s zoning system The study selects commercial places in Taichung City Taiwan as the main research object including the Old City Centre the 5th and the 7th Urban Land Readjustment Area as Taichung has grown in clear linear development and kept the commercial places developed in different ages The results of the study show different composition patterns of density measures and building typologies of each places and that corresponds to different types of commercial activities or architectural characteristics as functional supports for the places

Date of Award	2020
Original language	English
Supervisor	Han-Liang Lin (Supervisor)