Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wuhan da xue, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 352-362).

published_or_final_version / Urban Design / Master / Master of Urban Design

The Sinitic family has been under constant discussion in previous linguistic studies. Through extant research, a North-South demarcation line has been basically discovered within and phenomena of language contact been evidently observed beyond the borders. As academic awareness increases of the plurality in the Sinitic family, the transitional varieties within it require more attention. Wuhan dialect, found in the easternmost point in Southwestern Mandarin, is one such variety that has been under-researched to date and awaits further investigation. This thesis analyses an array of non-Mandarin characteristics in Wuhan dialect and discovers intense language contact with neighbouring languages. First it presents an overview of the phonological and morphological features in this dialect. Then, both the aspectual system and the multi-functional pa42 in Wuhan dialect are systematically discussed in a pan-Sinitic manner. Finally, the thesis concludes that Wuhan dialect, as a representative of Southwestern Mandarin, is at a transitional point on the North-South continuum of Sinitic. Based on the findings from this research, I propose that Wuhan dialect is on a transitional point on the North-South continuum in the Sinitic family. Moreover, the non-Mandarin linguistic idiosyncrasies in Wuhan dialect are due to prolonged language contact with neighbouring languages, especially Changsha Xiang, which has played an important role in the making of Wuhan dialect. / published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

One of the consequences of China’s rapid urbanization is the disappearance, or at least, mismanagement of the many lakes of the Central Yangtze River Basin. The thesis investigates the situation by conducting a complex system analysis, revealing four most pressing issues surrounding the lakes: flood management, sustaining agricultural practice, controlling urban development and maintaining a healthy ecosystem. The inadequacy in Central Yangtze River Basin’s flood capacity requires that the many lakes in the region be preserved and connected to form a flood retention network. Unfortunately, this preservation is threatened by urban development that seeks to infill the lakes. As well, many of the lakes are now divided into independent lotus farms and fish ponds which do not provide for a sustainable aquatic ecosystem. The city of Wuhan and its Lake Shahu is the focus of this thesis. Lake Shahu is a microcosm of the regional condition, and its centrality within the city of Wuhan brings about a particular set of problems, namely, the lake is perceived as an obstacle for communication and transit as well as an impediment for much needed city expansion. The thesis proposes a solution to the complex problem surrounding Lake Shahu by synthesizing a system of integrated infrastructure which would reconnect the lake and the Yangtze River, as well as provide a flood berm, public spaces, lotus farms, fisheries, wetlands and an artificial platform as land for city expansion. The infrastructural system is to instigate a process of transformation which sets up a symbiotic relationship among elements on site. For example, the Land Over Water project will allow penetration of sunlight to sustain the ecosystem below while staging a lively urban life above and supplying the lotus farms below with grey water collected from households. The design approach, known as Landscape Urbanism, is exemplified by Field Operation’s Fresh Kills Landfill Rehabilitation project where agricultural techniques and strategic planting are used to create a diverse range of habitats and event spaces over the course of 30 years. In the case of Lake Shahu, the importance of agriculture is highlighted for its engineering potential as well as its economic capacity to support the remaining rural farming population in the area. Aided by the transformation of the landscape and given the tools for monitoring the lake’s ecosystem, the farmers and fishermen can eventually become stewards of the land and water. Not unlike Fresh Kills, the project of Lake Shahu is staged for a 35-year period. The project evolves along the rapid development of China at a much slower pace as the natural processes required to stabilize the landscape will take a long time. By the end of the transformation, a sustainable system capable of adapting to changes in the urban, agrarian and natural environment will be able to support generations to come.

One of the consequences of China’s rapid urbanization is the disappearance, or at least, mismanagement of the many lakes of the Central Yangtze River Basin. The thesis investigates the situation by conducting a complex system analysis, revealing four most pressing issues surrounding the lakes: flood management, sustaining agricultural practice, controlling urban development and maintaining a healthy ecosystem. The inadequacy in Central Yangtze River Basin’s flood capacity requires that the many lakes in the region be preserved and connected to form a flood retention network. Unfortunately, this preservation is threatened by urban development that seeks to infill the lakes. As well, many of the lakes are now divided into independent lotus farms and fish ponds which do not provide for a sustainable aquatic ecosystem. The city of Wuhan and its Lake Shahu is the focus of this thesis. Lake Shahu is a microcosm of the regional condition, and its centrality within the city of Wuhan brings about a particular set of problems, namely, the lake is perceived as an obstacle for communication and transit as well as an impediment for much needed city expansion. The thesis proposes a solution to the complex problem surrounding Lake Shahu by synthesizing a system of integrated infrastructure which would reconnect the lake and the Yangtze River, as well as provide a flood berm, public spaces, lotus farms, fisheries, wetlands and an artificial platform as land for city expansion. The infrastructural system is to instigate a process of transformation which sets up a symbiotic relationship among elements on site. For example, the Land Over Water project will allow penetration of sunlight to sustain the ecosystem below while staging a lively urban life above and supplying the lotus farms below with grey water collected from households. The design approach, known as Landscape Urbanism, is exemplified by Field Operation’s Fresh Kills Landfill Rehabilitation project where agricultural techniques and strategic planting are used to create a diverse range of habitats and event spaces over the course of 30 years. In the case of Lake Shahu, the importance of agriculture is highlighted for its engineering potential as well as its economic capacity to support the remaining rural farming population in the area. Aided by the transformation of the landscape and given the tools for monitoring the lake’s ecosystem, the farmers and fishermen can eventually become stewards of the land and water. Not unlike Fresh Kills, the project of Lake Shahu is staged for a 35-year period. The project evolves along the rapid development of China at a much slower pace as the natural processes required to stabilize the landscape will take a long time. By the end of the transformation, a sustainable system capable of adapting to changes in the urban, agrarian and natural environment will be able to support generations to come.

In contemporary society with housing construction in full swing, ‘Gated Community’ has become a new phenomenon that soundlessly changing the way people lives. ‘Gated’ means ‘safe’ and ‘private’, but it is also associated with ‘segregation’ and ‘differentiation’. This contradictory concept has rich connotations that are concerning not only physical space and urban structure but also social stability and economical fairness, etc. To have better understanding of Gated Communities and their impacts, the dissertation has taken Wuhan, one of the famous metropolises in China, as an illustration. Through observing the quality of physical environment (size and scale, boundary form and environment, road system, public facilities, and open space), analyzing the relationship between public space and private sector, and evaluating process of property development and management, we learnt that huge-sized GCs led incompleteness of urban branch road system, making urban structure fragmented, and income-based segregation contributed to many social problems as well as unreasonable allocation of public faculties, etc. Based on these evaluations, many optimization strategies have been formulated. For example, from spatial perspective, we can relief this situation through scale and size control, mixed land use, boundary optimization, social integration and policy formulation. From administrative perspective, current land leasing mode needs to be changed into a better-planned one. The development rights, property rights, and management responsibilities need to be clearly divided and some affordable housing strategies need to be adopted, etc. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Philosophy

The Best PhD Thesis in the Faculties of Architecture, Arts, Business & Economics, Education, Law and Social Sciences (University of Hong Kong), Li Ka Shing Prize, 2010-11. / published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy