Not Just for Living - Spatial Regeneration of Urban Village Streets in the Perspective of Everyday Urbanism

The design site is located in Shipai, a village in the bustling Tianhe district of Guangzhou, which is home to nearly 100,000 people in just 0.73 square kilometers. This village is a sanctuary for migrants from different countries and serves as their "first home" in the city, with almost 65% of the migrant population choosing to reside here. We focus on the daily lives, habits and spatial practices of mobile people through the lens of everyday urbanism. The interesting phenomenon that we've observed here is the widespread use of cheap items in the day-to-day lives of the residents. These low-quality objects serve various functions that are low-cost, temporary, and convenient, while simultaneously becoming important components of the public space in informal housing areas. As designers, our intervention focused on transforming public space on the streets while preserving the local residents' clever use of low-quality objects. Our approach involved strategies such as folding objects for storage， promoting multi-functional, recycling goods， facilitating flexible movement, and breaking down spatial barriers. We employed these tactics to enhance spaces and improve public space quality. Our work is centered on grassroots participation, which is characterized by uncertainty and creativity. We have developed a bottom-up“grassroots”model that leverages the negative interface, reconfigures street spaces and revitalizes living scenes.