ABSTRACT
Over the past three decades, Asian cities have experienced dramatic and rapid urbanization. Under urban densification, public spaces in these cities are often confronted with increasing typological and programmatic demands, and also negotiations among diverse users, resulting in the emergence of new typologies of urban space that differ considerably from those derived from conventional approaches to urban development. These emerging contemporary spaces are shaped by a dynamic process that aims to synergize the various spatial, functional, and organizational aspects of urban design, yet, at the same time, are often complicated by tensions and contests around space ownership and privatization. This chapter addresses hybridization and intensification of urban processes in response to the challenges of urban densification. It examines some current typologies in the production of urban space in today’s intensely contested urban contexts. The ever-evolving development challenges of high-density cities call for a reexamination and reconceptualization of conventional approaches to urban design, embracing more holistic, dynamic, and collaborative design processes.
