TY - JOUR

T1 - Understanding and developing locality with a non-representational approach

T2 - Cases of waterfront spaces along the river Rhine

AU - Ruan, Huiting

AU - Prominski, Martin

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the China Scholarship Council (grant number 201706010403) and the Sino‐German Center for Research Promotion (grant number GZ1457). The authors would like to thank Catherine Atkinson for proofreading this manuscript. China Scholarship Council, Grant/Award Number: 201706010403; Chinesisch‐Deutsche Zentrum für Wissenschaftsförderung, Grant/Award Number: GZ1457 Funding information

PY - 2023/9/8

Y1 - 2023/9/8

N2 - In response to the problem of urban uniformity and loss of identity, in the past, locality research focused mainly on the physical environment and their symbolic values. This study takes the initiative by applying the zero theory from human geography to the planning and design fields. It has investigated promenades and parks along the Rhine in 20 towns or cities using spatial analysis and on-site experiences. Four types of waterfront space have been identified from the case studies, and the pattern of their distribution along the Rhine suggests that this is influenced mainly by the varying characteristics of the river and the historical development of the towns. This result permits planning to refer to spatial layout based on a region's character. The research also reveals the dominance of representational thinking in our current design practice and its negative impact. The application of non-representational approaches reveals the importance of sensory experiences and everyday spaces for better on-site engagement, thus forming the basis for a set of design guidelines for achieving locality in river-related open spaces. The paper demonstrates that the non-representational theory could provide the opportunity to enliven the connection between people and places in locality research.

AB - In response to the problem of urban uniformity and loss of identity, in the past, locality research focused mainly on the physical environment and their symbolic values. This study takes the initiative by applying the zero theory from human geography to the planning and design fields. It has investigated promenades and parks along the Rhine in 20 towns or cities using spatial analysis and on-site experiences. Four types of waterfront space have been identified from the case studies, and the pattern of their distribution along the Rhine suggests that this is influenced mainly by the varying characteristics of the river and the historical development of the towns. This result permits planning to refer to spatial layout based on a region's character. The research also reveals the dominance of representational thinking in our current design practice and its negative impact. The application of non-representational approaches reveals the importance of sensory experiences and everyday spaces for better on-site engagement, thus forming the basis for a set of design guidelines for achieving locality in river-related open spaces. The paper demonstrates that the non-representational theory could provide the opportunity to enliven the connection between people and places in locality research.

KW - design guidelines

KW - locality

KW - non-representational theory

KW - Rhine River

KW - waterfront space

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121420434&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/rra.3923

DO - 10.1002/rra.3923

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85121420434

VL - 39

SP - 1356

EP - 1366

JO - River research and applications

JF - River research and applications

SN - 1535-1459

IS - 7

ER -