- A Participatory Approach in Neighborhood Planning - A case of regeneration plan in the Nanshi district of Yining City    434 kb by    Huang, Luxin | luxinh@163.com    Short Outline The paper wants to present the findings of a regeneration project in YiNing city. The project is featured by its focus on public participation and aims to provide infrastructure, promote economic development and preserve valuable architecture. Abstract In the conference, we want to present the findings of a regeneration project in YiNing city. The project we performed is featured by its focus on public participation. The YiNing old city district regeneration project was launched in 2006. Yining is located in north-west Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The target area is situated in south of the city and occupies an area of 12.4 square kilometers. The population of the district is 87,000 and comprises 23 ethnic minorities. The district is characterized by traditional architecture and known as a highly dense area mainly inhabited by lower income people. The residents have been seriously disadvantaged by poor employment rate and lack of urban infrastructure. The project received the supports from the city government. The aim is to provide infrastructure, promote local economic development, create job opportunities and preserve valuable residential buildings and street landscape. A ¡®bottom-up¡¯ strategy has been adopted. The targeted area has encountered a multidimensional issue. In order to achieve more sustainable development, ¡®Involve all¡¯ was considered as the best way to generate better solutions. A number of methods were designed for public participation. A series of symposiums were held with Government Street Agencies, religious corporations and representatives of local communities. Face-to-face communication method was also used by the project team to gain in-depth understanding of local circumstance. A questionnaire was formulated in consultation with local government planning department and several residents¡¯ committees. An exhibition was held to introduce the draft of Conservation and Redevelopment Plan to the public. All the team members were responsible for answering questions and explaining details of the plan. Feedbacks were analyzed and reflected in the final plan. The project team also initiated drawing and essay competitions on the topic of ¡®my dream hometown¡¯ in local primary schools and high schools. The two competitions achieved unexpected outcomes: public enthusiasm for the project has been wakened and the awareness of conservation has been raised within the public. The increasingly emphasis has been put on public participation in planning process. The strategy and methods of this project may have a profound impact on future planning practices in China. Keywords public participation Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2007: Urban Trialogues   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper