Assignment 2:1 Formal Report Proposal

To: Dr. Erika Paterson

From: Coco Chen, Student ENGL 301 Technical Writing UBC

Date: October 14, 2021

Subject: Proposal for improving the road planning of Guixi Park to enhance the motivation of the community to the park

 

Introduction

Guixi Park is a community park of about 1.2 million square meters in the southern high-tech zone of Chengdu City, Sichuan, China.  As a green space for sponge city (a new urban construction model for flood management, strengthening ecological infrastructure and drainage systems), Guixi Park relies on natural topographic conditions to reshape the water system patter, ecology, and landscape. It is also a park that functionalizes the existing flood drains, lakes and ponds, and strengthens the flood detention and storage capacity. Its design maximizes the park’s rainwater re-infiltration capacity and forms a rainwater re-circulation system.

At the same time, providing space for nearby residents to interact with each other and make new friends is one of its important meanings as a community park. The Guixi community is an area with a high concentration of high-tech industries in Chengdu, and most of its residents are engaged in high-intensity technology industries. Due to the long hours of indoor work, these residents have a strong need for a park within walking distance. Guixi Park is an excellent place for people in the Guixi community to hold events and conduct recreational activities. The park planners hope that this will strengthen the sense of community among the residents of the neighborhood.

 

Situation / Audience

This proposal will be submitted to the  Chengdu Institute of Planning and Design which is the designer of the current version of the project(Guixi Park). The staff of this department is responsible for the planning of most of the city’s community parks as well as the overall ecological green space planning for the city. Therefore, they have a clear understanding of the focus and significance of the community park design and the importance of the project to the Guixi community.

 

Statement of Problem

The map of Guixi Community and Guixi Park is shown in Figure.1, where a highway divides Guixi Community(the highlighted blue section in Figure 1) into two parts and Guixi Park(the highlighted green section in Figure 1) is located to the south of the Highway (the darkened yellow line above the Guixi Park in Figure 1). Due to this road plan, it is difficult for people in the northern community to access the park, even though it is an open park with no fences on all 4 sides. Residents of the northern community often complain that there are no parks nearby for recreation: Guixi Community Park is difficult to access on foot or by bike, and other community parks are too far away.

Figure.1: The extent of the Guixi community and the location of Guixi Park within it.

At the same time, the community park is separated by an avenue that runs north and south into two small parks of the same size with no intersection(shown in Figure.2). Thus, the park loses its meaning as a whole to bring communication to the surrounding residents.

Figure.2: The map of current Guixi Park.

 

Proposed Solution

One potential solution is to improve the road plan around the perimeter of the park where it borders the community, thereby strengthening the connection between the people of the northern community and the park. Two green ecological bridges could be added above the Tianfu Avenue that currently divides the park into its east and west sections (like Figure.3 below). This will allow residents to move freely and safely through the different parts of the park.

Figure.3: Ecological bridge over the 5th Ring Road, between northern and southern Olympic Park in Beijing

 

Scope

To assess the feasibility of the revised road scheme, I will plan to conduct the following surveys to guide the study：

1. The address where you live.
2. How often do you usually go to Guixi Park?
3. What do you think are the obstacles that prevent you from visiting the park?
4. Are you willing to cross the street to go to the other side of the park without any special circumstances?
5. Who do you usually come to the park with?
6. Have you ever interacted with other residents at Laurel Creek Park?
7. Have you participated in any community events in the park?
8. Do you feel that Laurel Creek Park contributes to your sense of belonging to the community?
9. What suggestions do you have for planning the park that would increase your willingness to come to the park?
10. Would you be willing to come to the park more often if it was planned to make access to the park easier and safer?

 

Methods

My primary data sources will be organized by conducting a sample survey to the entire GuiXi Community on how the current parkway plan affects the recreational life of people living in different parts of the Community, and identify regional differences. At the end of the questionnaire, residents will be asked if they have any suggestions for road planning and the results will be tallied. This will allow the planners to make improvements based on specific regional issues and suggestions from local residents. After that, 3-4 pending plans will be selected by the planner to fulfill various demands, and then the final plan will be chosen by residents using online voting.

 

My Qualifications

I have participated in the planning and design of the Logan Lake Community Forest of Kamloops as an environmental consultant, and my work experience at the Sichuan Academy of Environmental Sciences in China has given me a deeper understanding of ecological planning in the city of Chengdu. As a graduate student in environmental management, I believe I am fully capable of writing formal scientific studies.

At the same time, I am also a resident of Guixi Community who has participated in many community activities, so I have a certain understanding of the structure and spatial distribution of residents within the community. Moreover, I can call on the people of the community to participate in this park reform consultation as a stakeholder and as a representative of the residents.

 

Conclusion

It is clear that poor road planning affects residents’ motivation to participate in community activities and visit the park, so it is necessary to improve the road planning of Guixi Park based on residents’ suggestions. A simple road improvement plan not only increases the use of the park, but also strengthens community unity and improves the physical and mental health of residents indirectly.