From Home to Community Care: Transforming a Community Building as a Spatial Mediator in Chinese Post-Industrial Contexts

Abstract

This research explores how spatial design can support ageing in place in Chinese post-industrial urban communities. It focuses on Dongshan Community in Dalian, a university-affiliated residential area developed under the Danwei work-unit system, where long-term residence has fostered strong social ties and a relatively stable neighbourhood structure. With an ageing population and the gradual transformation of the former welfare system, care resources have become increasingly fragmented, and responsibilities for everyday care are shifting from the private home towards the community level. The research examines how a community building can function as a spatial mediator connecting healthcare support, everyday social interaction, and community activities. The study adopts a co-production approach to understand residents’ lived experiences and emerging needs. The research process includes a key information interview with a long-term resident, a community survey, and focus workshops that provide insights into daily life patterns, care expectations, and existing social networks within the neighbourhood. Based on these findings, the design explores spatial strategies to reorganise the community building and integrate diverse care-oriented and social functions within a shared spatial framework. The project proposes an adaptable community environment that supports health care ser vices, everyday interaction, and collective activities. Principles from Traditional Chinese Medicine inform the design by linking health, daily life, and spatial experience. The research demonstrates how community architecture can strengthen local care infrastructures and sustain ageing in place in Chinese post-industrial neighbourhoods.