{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/95387"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/95387","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Remodeling urban fitness trails to engaging and healthy public spaces for all","abstract":"Unprecedented urban development has happened to China in the past several decades, generating countless skyscrapers and a much more compacted living environment for a majority of its people. During the same period, lifestyles changed accordingly. Physical inactivity, once an exotic term to most Chinese people, became one of the leading risk factors for mortality. To encourage more physical activities as a means to improve public health, the Chinese government proposed the National Fitness Program and put it into practice. One significant approach applied by the program is to build “fitness trails” in available public spaces for nearby residents. However, these trails, consisting a limited amount of exercise equipment, are often obsolete and abandoned places risking the health and safety of nearby residents. This leaves us a big challenge in planning and design. To what extent can we use research, knowledge, and systematic design thinking from landscape architecture to flip existing fitness trails over into engaging health enhancements for the wellbeing of all? This thesis examined current conditions of 30 different urban fitness trails in the city of Guangzhou and conducted an in-depth analysis of two typical urban fitness trail cases in Liuyun community. By research and analysis, a set of design guidelines was created and prepared for future practices. In response to design strategies provided, a comprehensive fitness trail design in Liuyun community was made for illustration. Through investigation, it is apparent that many of the urban fitness trails were unwisely built in locations and poorly considered in design components. By a more inclusive understanding of health, various health-promoting factors including mental health, social wellbeing, and healthy food were brought into design rather than physical activity only. In the illustrative design chapter, constructive design ideas and solutions were made and explained, with hope to set up the stage for related practitioners.","abstract_html":"Unprecedented urban development has happened to China in the past several decades, generating countless skyscrapers and a much more compacted living environment for a majority of its people. During the same period, lifestyles changed accordingly. Physical inactivity, once an exotic term to most Chinese people, became one of the leading risk factors for mortality. To encourage more physical activities as a means to improve public health, the Chinese government proposed the National Fitness Program and put it into practice. One significant approach applied by the program is to build “fitness trails” in available public spaces for nearby residents. However, these trails, consisting a limited amount of exercise equipment, are often obsolete and abandoned places risking the health and safety of nearby residents. This leaves us a big challenge in planning and design. To what extent can we use research, knowledge, and systematic design thinking from landscape architecture to flip existing fitness trails over into engaging health enhancements for the wellbeing of all? This thesis examined current conditions of 30 different urban fitness trails in the city of Guangzhou and conducted an in-depth analysis of two typical urban fitness trail cases in Liuyun community. By research and analysis, a set of design guidelines was created and prepared for future practices. In response to design strategies provided, a comprehensive fitness trail design in Liuyun community was made for illustration. Through investigation, it is apparent that many of the urban fitness trails were unwisely built in locations and poorly considered in design components. By a more inclusive understanding of health, various health-promoting factors including mental health, social wellbeing, and healthy food were brought into design rather than physical activity only. In the illustrative design chapter, constructive design ideas and solutions were made and explained, with hope to set up the stage for related practitioners.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Li, Haoyang"],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.L.A.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Landscape Architecture","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Sullivan, William C.","Zhu, Weimo","Emmerling-DiNovo, Carol"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-03-01T15:49:24Z","date_published":"2017-03-01T15:49:24Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:26:37Z","subjects":["Urban fitness trail","Health benefit"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2016 Haoyang Li"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/2142/95387","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Sullivan, William C.","Zhu, Weimo","Emmerling-DiNovo, Carol"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Li, Haoyang"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2017-03-01T15:49:24Z","2016-12-05","2016-12"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Landscape Architecture"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.L.A."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Urban fitness trail","Health benefit"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2016 Haoyang Li"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/95387"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Unprecedented urban development has happened to China in the past several decades, generating countless skyscrapers and a much more compacted living environment for a majority of its people. During the same period, lifestyles changed accordingly. Physical inactivity, once an exotic term to most Chinese people, became one of the leading risk factors for mortality. To encourage more physical activities as a means to improve public health, the Chinese government proposed the National Fitness Program and put it into practice. One significant approach applied by the program is to build “fitness trails” in available public spaces for nearby residents. However, these trails, consisting a limited amount of exercise equipment, are often obsolete and abandoned places risking the health and safety of nearby residents. This leaves us a big challenge in planning and design. To what extent can we use research, knowledge, and systematic design thinking from landscape architecture to flip existing fitness trails over into engaging health enhancements for the wellbeing of all? This thesis examined current conditions of 30 different urban fitness trails in the city of Guangzhou and conducted an in-depth analysis of two typical urban fitness trail cases in Liuyun community. By research and analysis, a set of design guidelines was created and prepared for future practices. In response to design strategies provided, a comprehensive fitness trail design in Liuyun community was made for illustration. Through investigation, it is apparent that many of the urban fitness trails were unwisely built in locations and poorly considered in design components. By a more inclusive understanding of health, various health-promoting factors including mental health, social wellbeing, and healthy food were brought into design rather than physical activity only. In the illustrative design chapter, constructive design ideas and solutions were made and explained, with hope to set up the stage for related practitioners.","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2017-02-28 without embargo terms","The student, Haoyang Li, accepted the attached license on 2016-12-02 at 02:53.","The student, Haoyang Li, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2016-12-02 at 03:23.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2016-12-05 at 14:52.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #10409 on 2017-02-28 at 14:55:08","Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-01T15:49:24Z (GMT). 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To encourage more physical activities as a means to improve public health, the Chinese government proposed the National Fitness Program and put it into practice. One significant approach applied by the program is to build “fitness trails” in available public spaces for nearby residents. However, these trails, consisting a limited amount of exercise equipment, are often obsolete and abandoned places risking the health and safety of nearby residents. This leaves us a big challenge in planning and design. To what extent can we use research, knowledge, and systematic design thinking from landscape architecture to flip existing fitness trails over into engaging health enhancements for the wellbeing of all? This thesis examined current conditions of 30 different urban fitness trails in the city of Guangzhou and conducted an in-depth analysis of two typical urban fitness trail cases in Liuyun community. By research and analysis, a set of design guidelines was created and prepared for future practices. In response to design strategies provided, a comprehensive fitness trail design in Liuyun community was made for illustration. Through investigation, it is apparent that many of the urban fitness trails were unwisely built in locations and poorly considered in design components. By a more inclusive understanding of health, various health-promoting factors including mental health, social wellbeing, and healthy food were brought into design rather than physical activity only. In the illustrative design chapter, constructive design ideas and solutions were made and explained, with hope to set up the stage for related practitioners.","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2017-02-28 without embargo terms","The student, Haoyang Li, accepted the attached license on 2016-12-02 at 02:53.","The student, Haoyang Li, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2016-12-02 at 03:23.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2016-12-05 at 14:52.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #10409 on 2017-02-28 at 14:55:08","Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-01T15:49:24Z (GMT). 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