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The population of Beijing has increased from 9 million in 1980 to 19.6million in 2010 (Beijing Statistic Bureau, 2011)

The city suffers from inflated property prices, a shortage of affordable accommodation, and inhumane living conditions.

Location of urban villages and “ant tribes� in Beijing

This paper looks at Beijing’s residential problem, by the comparing and contrasting of the following phenomena:

the gated community

the ant tribe

the urban village

the danwei

This form of urban development has been widely critised in terms of potential negative aspects in the long term economic integration of the city.

It is also on a social level derided for creating unsatisfied groups of wealthy residents by promoting security and personal segregation at the cost of communality or shared access and use of the city.

Security guards posted at the primary entrance of gated communities

Gated communities are large in scale, often taking up a whole city block.

A gated community comprises of a privately enclosed cluster of monotonous residential towers, ranging in numbers from 2 to 30.

Security measures taken at gated communities

The privatisation of real estate in the 1970s saw housing becoming a commodity, in which ones residence is an indication of wealth and status, resulting in a system where people separate themselves into brackets of housing determined by price.

This desire for seclusion from the masses, alongside the need for security, manifests into a physical boundary encircling gated compounds.

Landscaped external spaces in gated communities

The towers are surrounded by landscaped communal space, a convenience store, an ATM machine and occasionally an exclusive gym and other sporting facilities. However the quality and degree of space available is determined the financial value of the development, though the majority will provide a basic level of landscaping, external fitness equipment, and space for social activities, but upon further investigation much of the communal outdoor spaces are underutilised.

The mono-functional nature of the gated community provides no reason and few chances for human interaction and social occurrences within, which explains the underutilisation of the provided communal spaces, giving rise to a lack of neighbourhood attachment and residential satisfaction.

Formation of urban villages in China

Urban villages, chengzhongcun, are villages surrounded by the city. They are formed through the expansion of the city and the absorption of agricultural communities. They arise from a combination of factors: land reform policies, dual urban/rural land ownership and management system and the arrival of a disadvantaged migrant population.

Since urban villages do not adhere to local planning regulations, there is room for flexibility in its development, meaning a diverse range of facilities can exist. This makes them convenient places to live (Li and Wu, 2013), contributes towards an active street life and a greater use of communal spaces.

Due to a lack of collective planning, the architectural languages of buildings are diverse, making them visually stimulating settings to walk through.

a commercial street in an urban village in Beijing

Collage illustrating the diverse range of facilities available in an urban village in China

A survey found that over ninety percent of units do not have toilets, kitchens, heating or air conditioning to cope with the extreme temperatures of Beijing.

University graduates at a job fair, queuing for an interview opportunity.

The “ant tribe� an emerging and informal class of highly educated graduates and young professionals who are forced to settle for a poverty-level existence in Chinese cities

Members of the “ant tribe” in residences inside urban villages

The “ants” are emblematic of housing issues facing Beijing today. They are educated, hardworking white-collar workers, yet they are deprived of basic resources that are available to other groups.

Priced out of the formal housing market, the “ants” reside instead in the squalors of urban villages in Beijing’s peri-urban region, for lack of an appropriate alternative. According to Yang et al. (2013), they live in small and cramped rooms in urban villages with less than 10m2 to every individual.

Photograph showing the lifestyle of women in a danwei.

A modern-style workers’ convalescent home, 1959.

Danweis (work units) were a basis for urban form. They were self-contained units incorporating employment, housing and social service facilities (Lu, 2006).

The concentration of life centred on the danwei created a dense network of human relations and its urban fabric was the outcome of flexible incremental development and social provisions.

The spatial layout, resources and size of individual danweis differed widely.

Masterplan for a motorized tractor repair station in suburban Beijing

Masterplan for Xian Univesity of Communications

. Photographs depicting street widths in a danwei unit.

Primary routes of circulation in the danwei were 7 to 9 metres wide, well-paved and bordered with pavements, gutters, drains, curbs, street lamps and greenery.

Secondary roads were 4 to 6 metres, and roads running up to residential blocks were 1.5 to 2 metres wide.

The differing scales of streets, lanes and alleyways humanized the landscape which encouraged utilisation of public space and social interactions (Gehl, 2001).

The diversity and sophistication of the largest danweis resembled a “miniature city”

Diagrams showing the diversity and sophistication of a large danwei (Tsinghua University, Beijing), resembling a “miniature city”.

Plan for a residential compound.

Outdoor recreational facilities such as playgrounds, bicycle parking and parks were present in the spaces between buildings.

The spatial arrangements allowed a spatial and temporal crossover of work, family and social events to occur.

The construction of danwei buildings were based on rationalist principles.

This rationalist approach to planning and design meant disparity in building aesthetics and standards were minimal, highlighting the egalitarianism in danweis

Images of internal layouts for standardized residential units in a danwei

Accommodation was available for both single employees and families; the former lived in dormitories, the latter resided in apartments.

Plans of apartment-style housing units. Plan on top shows two sets of communal facilities shared between six households. The image on the bottom shows three separate apartments, supplied with their own facilities.

In the 1950s, apartment-style housing units were constructed in accordance to the Soviet template, which boasted greater areas and multiple bedrooms (Lu, Rowe and Zhang, 2001, pp. 108-140).

The new residential typology should make a powerful urban impact. In addition to absorbing the influx in Beijing’s population into a harmonious environment, the new typology will have an instrumental effect on the urban, economic and social fabric of Beijing, by allowing educated young professionals to live in the city centre which contributes more successfully to an integrated economic social fabric. The new urban form will repair Beijing’s fragmented economy, and make Beijing a more equal rather than economically discriminative city for living.