Theoretical Framework of Park Vitality Area and Implementation Pathways for Realizing the Recreational Vitality Area of Urban Parks

Abstract

The concept of "Park Vitality Area" signifies a new phase of urban park development in China and represents a new practical paradigm promoting parks as "landscape catalyst." With a review of the relevant theoretical context and international background, this article proposes dual-dimensional connotations for Park Vitality Area from both a broad sense (sustainable perspective) and a narrow sense (recreational perspective). In response to current practical demands in China, this article focuses on the narrow sense using Beijing as an example to demonstrate its spatial characteristics and three-tiered implementation pathways:enhancing internal vitality, linking internal and external vitality, and cultivating virtual vitality communities of parks. Functionally, the Park Vitality Area promotes innovative transformation of parks from single-type land use into spatial catalyst-driven sustainable development in surrounding areas. Spatially, the fragmented, point-based configuration of parks is reconceptualized as a composite "point-line-plane" system. The conceptualization of Park Vitality Area can propel research and practice of urban parks into a new stage of systematic development. The future research can encompass a series of issues in the umbrella of Park Vitality Area, including its internal structural characteristics, the spatial extent of radiative influence, mechanisms of spatial interconnectivity, multidimensional driving factors, and spatiotemporal evolution patterns. As an innovative pathway for parks to engage in urban renewal and governance, Park Vitality Area underscores the disciplinary value and professional contribution of planning and design within the broader agenda of building a beautiful China. Moreover, it offers a practical paradigm and a Chinese solution for the sustainable development of global cities.

Keywords

Green Infrastructure / Landscape Urbanism / Green Space / Park Vitality Area / Spatial Vitality / Urban Renewal / Landscape Catalyst

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press