One of the most insoluble problems confronted by urban areas in developing countries is the shortage of open space; street space allows daily human activities, promotes social interaction, and is seen as a precondition for the sustainable development of the community. Although some seemingly public space is also built up in Vietnam, street space is often where resident’s go to perform activities. This research aims at studying behaviors of users in old street space and the interaction with existing physical settings; as an input to future renovation and the development of street space in a manner that respects the cultural and social context of the Vietnamese people. User’s behaviors in streets and physical characteristics of space were collected and processed in accordance with theories of behavior setting and proxemics using some methods including place-centered behavioral mapping (PcBM) and visual encounter surveys (VES). The analysis showed that three types of behavior, including (1) Type A where various frequent activities occurred, (2) Type B which discouraged most human activities, and (3) Type C where neither frequent nor infrequent behaviors can represent environmental behavior patterns in the old street spaces of Vietnam and for each of these types of patterns improvements have been proposed by organizing street and pavements layouts detailed in this paper. The proposed improvements are based on the relationship between human behaviors and properties of the street space to assist designers, administers, and authorities in renovating and developing better and more sustainable street space.

The shortage of open spaces in developing countries in Asia such as Vietnam has been a thorny question for urbanists. Due to a poor history of public spaces, people tend to use street spaces as open spaces and other functions that bring chaos and danger onto the streets. Although developed countries in the West have overcome the dangers of life on street spaces to some extent, Vietnam, with its low quality of life, retains its inherent street bustle. Street improvements have been carried out to enhance the quality of urban life. This research aims at comparing improved and unimproved street spaces in various aspects, including user behavior and the environment-behavior relationship within street spaces and their surroundings. The findings contribute to the future improvement of street spaces in Vietnam and other developing countries based on theories of Environment-Behavior Studies. Through this research, the street renovation and development idea can be processed in a distinctive manner that appreciates the cultural and social context instead of being derived from the arbitrary or intuitive ideas of designers. By using various observation methods such as centered behavioral mapping (PcBM) and visual encounter surveys (VES), and statistical analysis such as principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA), the findings show that a total of eight physical attributes need consideration during street renovations or development processes. Improved and unimproved street spaces share two attributes and differ in six attributes. Additionally, three environment-behavior patterns support the implications detailed in this paper. Finally, a suggestion for street space development and management is made to support related authorities and urbanists in future projects; it is hope that this research will contribute to creating more livable and sustainable street environments.

This study elucidates the spatial structure of traditional houses, and its transformation toward sustainable development of residential environments in old towns that are currently the focus of tourism development initiatives. Hexia old town in Huai’an District, China, was chosen for this study involving a field survey, questionnaire survey, and interviews. Data analysis identified three periods of residential transformation and three patterns of the residential transformation process. In all cases, there was low awareness of building conservation measures and lack of tourism development by the government, which has translated into ongoing residential transformations according to the demands of daily life. However, in the interests of tourism development, some businesses have started making use of vacant residences and traditional homes, and the relative proximity to work and home imply sustainability of residents’ lifestyles under these conditions. An improvement plan for an old town requires a thorough understanding of the circumstances surrounding residential modifications executed by residents, the problems faced in the living environment, as well as efforts to increase the residents’ awareness of the issue of sustainable living in that old town.

Mixed habitation environments have gradually proved to be an effective planning method to promote social integration in many countries. However, due to the differences in the social backgrounds of each country, it is essential to implement construction methods suitable for local conditions. On the other hand, the planning theories and construction methods discussed from multiple perspectives, including an architectural perspective of spatial forms, have been insufficient, which is not conducive to constructing a sustainable dwelling environment. This article aims to clarify the planning status of spatial forms and their issues by investigating existing projects with mixed habitation environments in China. Unlike other countries that have implemented relevant policies for many years, China has just begun to explore relevant schemes (i.e., public-rental housing in private-owned housing complexes) aiming to promote mixed habitation environments. The selected research objects included all projects already inhabited at the end of June 2017 in the city of Beijing. Through field survey, the research objects were divided into eight types via an analysis of building layouts and residents’ traffic lines. The results show that out of the many research objects, two kinds of housing were clearly distinctive, and only a few research objects matched the basic conditions to be defined as a mixed habitation. The conditions are not conducive to the formation of mixed habitation; therefore, a more detailed discussion on how to design a mixed habitation environment is necessary to aid further research.

Residents have territorial cognition with different hierarchies and conduct corresponding behaviors in the outdoor space of housing blocks through sharing space and facilities. This mechanism stems from human need and might be influenced by physical environmental elements. To understand this effect, especially after a guideline for transforming existing gated housing blocks was enacted in China, this study compared the territoriality of open and gated housing blocks from the view of the cognition, behavior, and space through combined methods. Interview, snapshot, and observation were conducted to capture the situation of these three dimensions, then they were evaluated and grouped by factor analysis and quartiles. Obtained results in the open housing block were found to be inferior to that in the gated case. The conclusion was drawn based on the above that there are remarkable differences between open and gated housing blocks on the intensity of residents’ territorial cognition, the level and quantity of their territorial behaviors, and the distribution as well as continuity of the territorial space.