Urbanization has had a significant impact on Bangladesh and will continue to do so in the coming decades, leading to a shortage of housing in urban area and consequent emergence and expansion of the ‘urban poor’. Among all the ‘urban poor’, children are more vulnerable. At an age when family support, education and other resources are needed, they often lack the most basic living conditions and sometimes even struggle to survive. Therefore, this project aims to explore the potential of housing design on alleviating the issue of urban poor children in Sylhet, Bangladesh.

The research focuses on the principles and features of an ideal child-centric community and children-friendly spaces, and the affordable housing practices in south Asia. In response to the research, the target area for the design project is in Sylhet city, on the south bank of the Surma River, next to the city icon Keane bridge. By adopting a mix-income model in residential building (lower floors for low-income group, upper floors for middle-income group), the design provides housing units and common spaces catering to different income groups as well as incorporating shared areas for activities, to balance the respect for lifestyles and social mix. Additionally, the project introduces diverse indoor and outdoor activity spaces for children at different scales, satisfying the needs of children of different ages, genders and economic backgrounds. Moreover, to adapt to the climate, the project adopts three main environmental strategies, namely green infrastructure, water conservation and climate resilience (particularly in terms of ventilation and solar protection).

Ultimately, the project aims to establish a model of an equitable, vibrant, environmentally adaptive and child-centric community that can be applied to other areas with similar issues of urban poor children.

Suzhou, with a unique urban fabric regarding the water-land relation, has been famous as a ‘water city’ in China for centuries. The intertwining of the canal and street systems creates waterfront spaces, which involve waterways, streets and buildings at the same time, forming the typical image of Suzhou. Additionally, throughout history, Suzhou was usually an economically prosperous city, particularly in the 18th century, when it became both the domestic and international trading center. Within the city, the Changmen Area in the northwest corner was once the most representative trading port, where thousands of ships and people were gathering for both commercial and recreational purposes. However, due to the expanding population and fast-paced lifestyle, from the beginning of the 21st century, most of the waterfront spaces in Suzhou as Changmen Area, were turned into pure residential functions, so the problems of waterfront spaces exacerbated, such as the illegal occupation for the sake of accommodating more people and a lifeless vibe in the neighborhood. These problems negatively affected urban vitality, resulting in a completely different scene compared to that in the 18th century.

Therefore, this thesis focuses on the urban vitality of waterfront spaces in Suzhou in general and especially in Changmen Area in the 18th and the 21st centuries. The evaluation is based on three indicators: diversity, accessibility, and social interaction, and each indicator is further reflected on the condition of water and land respectively. Different approaches are used for examining the past and present, with ancient paintings and observations in fieldwork as the main source respectively. Finally, the most influential changes in urban vitality throughout the past three centuries can be concluded, served as a reference for solving existing problems and looking to the future in waterfront spaces in Suzhou.