Evolution of the Spatial Types of Wuhan Urban Congregated Housing from a Public/Private Space Perspective (1949–1966)

Abstract

—Modern urban housing in China has its own development path and distinctive spatial forms under the influence of China’s socialist political and economic system. It thus contains its complex and specific public/private relationship dimensions .The present study focuses on analyzing the spatial types of congregated housing in Wuhan through cases from 1949 to 1966 and exploring how their residential spaces participate in shaping the social public /private relations of the nation, society, individual and family in the same period by constructing the spatial relations among the city, residential area, residential building and domestic space. This study may help to enhance understanding of the intricate and dynamic relationships between public and private spaces in Chinese urban housing of the time, which differ from their counterparts in Western cities. It also provides an enlightenment on research on public/private spaces in current urban housing in varied contexts.