In Japan, local cities experience a number of problems related to deterioration of residential environment, quality of public service, and vitalization of commercial land. Specifically, the presence of large vacant lots behind sizable stores, office buildings, hospitals, and factories devitalize urban activity and its landscape. Many local cities are seeking to actualize a sustainable compact city with an integrated population, commerce, traffic and other public services in ways that promote a low carbon and energy-conservingso ciety. Against the backdrop of these issues, this study examines the occurrence of large vacant lots and their utilization by local governments in Japan based on aquestionnaire and field survey. It highlights several cases in which a large vacant lot is used to forward the development of a compact city by a local government.

The world population is continually increasing, but the Japanese population is decreasing. By 2050, the Japanese population is calculated to be close to 100 million people,and by 2060, 40% of the Japanese are estimated to be aged 65 years or more. Data show an increase in the declining birth and aging rates of the population. The development of high-concentration urban structures willbeneededtosolvesuchproblems.However,adetailedvisionofthefutureisyet to be clarified and in the process of consideration. In this study, we developed an instrument called “Population Migration Tool,” which is based on plural planning and policy, after we formed afuture population distribution model. In addition, We also established a high-concentration urbanstructuremodelwiththistoolwiththeaimofconsideringthekindof urban structure local cities should target in the future.

The disappearance of vernacular buildings is a common phenomenon worldwide and in Indonesia. The Banjarese house, a type of Indonesian vernacular architecture, is a typical riverside dwelling that shows the strong relationship between the river and the inhabitants. In view of the number of Banjarese houses facing degradation as a riverside type of vernacular rchitecture, a study is necessary.

The characteristics of the inhabitants must be considered when observing the condition of the remaining houses.Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of inhabitant background on the physical changes of Banjarese houses for future revitalization.

A research was conducted in the embryo of Banjarmasin along the Kuin riverside settlement in Kuin Utara sub-district through a door-to-door survey with a questionnaire. The exploration indicates the following:(1) the original form of all remaining houses has been altered,(2) most of the inhabitants are classified as alow-income society,(3) the different characteristics of the present inhabitants change the physical condition of houses,(4) the relationship of the current house condition to thesocio-culture and economy of the inhabitants plays a prominent role in revitalizing Banjarese houses as a valuable asset.

In China,the urban-rural dual structure of land market has resulted in urban sprawl caused by industrial diffusion. Urban sprawl disintegrated agricultural communities in suburbs, thereby increasing the unemployment rate among farmers who lost their lands. To address this problem, the Chinese government proposed a reform program to analyze the monopoly of the government in the land market and guarantee the property rights of farmers.

This study analyzed the connection between land market mechanism and suburban space formation. Results concluded that the current land transfer system caused industrial urban sprawl, and the reform program may promote the urban sprawl of population. Twot ypical models of rural land development were studied. A model called land cooperatives based on land pooling joint stock system was proposed to build a compact and sustainable suburban space.

Prevailing city design in many countries has created sedentary societies that depend on automobile use. Consequently, architects, urban designers, and land planners have developed new urban design theories, which have beenincorporated into the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND)certification system. The LEED-ND includes design elements that improve human well-being by facilitating walking and biking, a concept known as walkability.Despite these positive developments, relevant research findings from other fields of study have not been fully integrated into the LEED-ND.According to Zuniga-Teran (2015), relevant walkability research findings from multipled isciplines were organized into a walkability framework (WF) that organizes design elements related to physical activity into nine categories, namely, connectivity, land use, density, traffic safety, surveillance, parking, experience, greenspace, and community. In this study, we analyze walkability in the LEED-ND through the lens of the nine WF categories. Through quantitative andq ualitative analyses, we identify gaps and strengths in the LEED-ND and propose potential enhancements to this certification system that reflects what is known about enhancing walkability more comprehensively through neighborhood designan alysis. This work seeks to facilitate the translation of research into practice, which can ultimately lead to more active and healthier societies.

People's visual perception and recognition of urban colorscape tones change significantly in hazy weather. Apsychological experiment is conducted in this study to investigate visual comfort related to commercial and residential buildings. Visual observations are performed on the tones of an urban colorscape during hazy weather and air pollution in Harbin, China. Fifty-eight color samples selected through an orthogonal method are evaluated through a Likert scale by 30 subjects in a laboratory setting. Statistical analysis is performed with the maximal information coefficient and Rlanguage. Experimental results show that the changing threshold values of color tones are related to the visual comfort levelsofthesubjects.Theinfluenceofthethreefactorsofcolortonesonvisualcomfortlevel is relatively independent, and the effects of value and chroma contrast on color comfort level are greater than that of hue contrast in hazy weather. Furthermore, the comfort recognition threshold values of color tones in hazy weather are determined through data comparisons and analyses.

American architect Henry Killam Murphy contributed extensively in designing college campuses, making him a significant figure in the history of modern Chinese architecture. This study investigates the influence of Western architecture on modern Chinese architecture based on the master plan of Shanghai College and its architectural design by Murphy. Shanghai College has been maintained by American Baptists since 1906. Its campus is the largest missionary college in China. The Shanghai municipal government designated the campus as a “HERITAGE ARCHITECTURE.” Thus, studying the design characteristics of Shanghai College is important to understand the history of Chinese architecture. From an architectural-historical point of view, studying the design of Shanghai College also helps describe the propagation and development of Western architecture in China. This study determines the historical significance of Shanghai College to help enhance the value of its buildings.

Practicing designers and design students across multiple fields were surveyed to measure preference and perception of traditional hand and digital tools to determine if common biases for an individual toolset are realized in practice. Significant results were found, primarily with age being a determinant in preference of graphic tools and processes; this finding demonstrates a hard line between generations of designers. Results show that while there are strong opinions in tools and processes, the realities of modern business practice and production gravitate towards digital methods despite a traditional tool preference in more experienced designers. While negative stigmas regarding computers remain, younger generations are more accepting of digital tools and images, which should eventually lead to a paradigm shift in design professions.

Classical temples constructed by an entire class are considered as a democratic artifact that symbolizes social and communal beliefs and embodies religious significance. In contrast with these meanings that existing scholars have addressed, this paper investigates the extent to which architecture, as both shelter and artwork, serve as a medium of spatial-textile storytelling, providing a rich sensory context that represents and mediates culture.

This study is drawn from a case study of the Ionic frieze in Parthenon, Athens, considered both a textile and spatial storytelling device. The research method applied in this paper consists of a literature review of references on the ideas on the links between textile making and architectural ornament by Gottfried Semper, as well as the historical development of the frieze in both textile weaving and classical architecture.

The paper concludes that the significance of the religious Panathenaia festival is not merely depicted by the peplos identified on the central east Ionic frieze, but is also expressed in the entire representational scheme of the Ionic frieze, along with the overall spatial configuration of the Parthenon. Architecture, instantiated by the Parthenon, is regarded as spatial-textile storytelling to communicat emeanings.

Legibility is based on landmarks and geometry. Visitors in a space learn to “read” an area by using three-and two-dimensional cues. This research aimed to determine the responses of visitors to the influence of geometry on the legibility at Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC). The relationship between geometry and space legibility can affect visitors' wayfinding. In this study, visitors, including 86 respondents and 8 individuals who participated in a focus group, were surveyed through questionnaires and interviews during daytime. Results show that legibility was moderately and positively correlated with regular geometry, but legibility was negligibly affected by existing geometry. Regression analysis, t-test, ANOVA, and scheme coding of qualitative data suggested that regular geometry used in urban spaces might strongly improve legibility. For urban designers, regular geometry associated with landmarks enhances legibility.