Inclusive Design for Open Spaces in Dense Older Districts: A Comparative Study of Hong Kong and Guangzhou

In recent years, researchers, urban planners and local authorities have more actively made tremendous efforts to improve the quality of open spaces. Policy strategies for inclusive and barrier-free environments have been promulgated, however, most of the inclusive open space policies and standards are catered for the newly built constructions. The inclusive design for renovated open spaces are seldom discussed. Using open spaces in Hong Kong and Guangzhou as case studies, this paper identifies barriers to and opportunities for the creation of inclusive open spaces in dense older districts. The paper proposes a framework with six key elements, namely accessibility, reliability, responsibility, flexibility, legibility and resonance, based on analysis of six categories of design and services. The results show that public participation is required during the different stages of planning, decision-making and evaluation. Finally, the paper provides some suggestions for researchers, urban planners as well as policymakers to consider how to improve the quality of open spaces in densely older districts.