Text description provided by the architects. Yulin Alley is located at Yulin Sanxiang, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. The area of Yulin was built in the 1980s and 1990s. In the past decades, apartments built in different periods were connected by paths, and the integration of old and new buildings gradually formed the present Yulin, which has its own temperament - the air of the marketplace. The charm of Yulin may start from its old age. Yulin East Road in Yulin Street is facing the same problems as most old urban areas, with aging houses, dilapidated greenery, narrow roads, and lack of public space, increasingly unable to meet the needs of residents' public life. In such an old urban area with tight conditions, whether we can effectively organize and utilize the remaining space in the blind spots of urban planning is the first topic we face. As a community public space, how to realize its openness and sustainability is the second issue we face.

 

The project has gone through a total of 3 phases of the renovation process since the design launch in 2018. From the completion of the disabled-friendly space in the alley in 2020 to the indoor and outdoor platform and community stage on the first floor of the Party Service Center in 2021, and then to the renovation and renewal of the Cafeteria and service rooms in 2022. Neighborhoods are growth-oriented, and the process of phasing the design into use, design, and function can grow together with feedback and time in the face of urban renewal issues. As a designer, we hope to continue to accompany the growth of the neighborhood; as an operator, we hope to bring into play the platform of the space and practice the possibility of linkage mechanisms between inside and outside the neighborhood, commercial and social. In the first phase, through the disabled-friendly space in the alley, we tried to explore the utilization of the remaining space in the city, what kind of temperament the community space can present, and to establish an open co-creation and operation mechanism with the community. The second and third phase is about how to present the community block as a small cluster space and how to meet the needs of more operators and users under limited conditions after we change, integrate, and grow together with the local community and more diverse and multi-creative teams join.

 

Therefore, the design strategy is divided into three parts:
1. Set functional cores to support spaces with specific functional demands;
2. The rest of the space is a multifunctional space that is not defined to meet different scales, densities, and various behaviors generated;
3. Blur the boundary between spaces, between inside and outside, and through the regulation of indoor, semi-indoor, and outdoor gray space and outdoor space, form a flexible space that integrates and uses each other.

 

We hope to form a community scene with blurred boundaries through flexible design and flexible space layout, where all people could enjoy their own lives, feel the lifestyles of others and feel friendly living together.

 

Phase I Yulin Alley - Yulin Alley is a community disabled-friendly space supported by the community of East Yulin Road in Chengdu, planned and designed by our design team, and jointly operated with the community. The space sells coffee, desserts, and creative products, and frequently holds art exhibitions, themed pop-ups, workshops, bazaars, and other activities. Yulin Alley is trying to create an environment of freedom and equality. It calls for people to get out of their houses and expand their living circle; at the same time, it also provokes communication and incubation, attracting more people to initiate and participate in exploratory attempts with openness.

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Phase II Community Stage - Considering the extraordinary and daily nature of the stage, as well as its public use as a leisure space, the stage design needs to minimize the number of falling columns and adopt a cantilevered structure. The roof is separated from the wall and connected through the solar panel, which increases the lighting while weakening the sense of volume to make it more floating and thinner. The metal cabinet with push-pull recessed panels on the wall can be used for posters and information notices of various social activities.

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Phase II Community Leisure Platform - The entrance platform provides residents with a flexible space to have daily rest and participate in community services where they could stay, negotiate, and gather together to play chess and chat. The design of moderate height difference and width of the wooden platform also provides rehearsal space for the community children's choir and performance club. It serves both as the forecourt of the office space and as the backcourt of the community stage.

 

Phase III Community Service Room - The plan of community service rooms is rectangular. We set the functional core spaces in the homogeneous column network to provide support for specific functional requirements, and the rest of the space is an undefined multipurpose space. The northern part is for social service content while the southern part is for commercial content forming an enclosure and facing connection to the Yulin Alley. The community theater between the two parts serves as an elastic space, providing extension space for each part so as to dynamically adjust the ratio of service and business.

 

Children Secret Archives - Focusing on the individual experience and public memory of community residents, attracting them to participate in the community through "awakening", "interaction", "reproduction", "archive research" and other methods. It provides enough vivid research materials for experts and scholars in the direction of history, psychology, anthropology, and education, and becomes a supplement to the conventional "local chronicles".

 

Community Workstation - Focusing on the needs of community residents, aiming at the elderly, the disabled, women, and children in the community, social workers use professional methods and skills to assist individuals and families to develop their potential and improve their social functions.

 

Community Cinema - Collect and display cultural works of the youth, build an accessible viewing space for the community, and set a platform for young filmmakers and artists to display and exchange their creative idea.

 

Design & Art Retail - The store has publications and products related to design, art, architecture, and pan-sociology, as well as the self-starting field of Yulin Alley. Let the community events, social information, and community service that young people care about circulate, and promote young people to rely on the community, integrate into the community, and participate in community governance. We hope that everyone can take the paper to the streets and pay more attention to what is happening on the road.

 

Mrs. Li and her family came to Yulin in the 1990s to run a barbershop. Residents in the community, regardless of their age, call her "Li Jie". The barbershop has been providing low-paying haircut services to residents for decades, as well as door-to-door haircut services for elderly people with disabilities in the community.

 

Phase III Community Cafeteria - The cafeteria provides dining services for community residents. Each meal costs 15 yuan, and the elderly over 70 years old have a discount of 3 yuan. The cafeteria also provides shared services such as parent-child kitchens, Yulin mother group, and birthday parties for the elderly. From its operation to the present, this space has been praised by community residents for its convenient, fast, cheap, nutritious, and delicious meals and shared caring services.

项目背景

巷子里位于中国四川省成都市玉林三巷。玉林地区始建于1980年代和1990年代。在过去的几十年中，不同时期建造的公寓楼通过路径相连，新旧建筑的融合逐渐形成了现在的玉林。玉林有着独属于自己的气质——市井气息。 玉林的魅力或许就是从它的老旧开始。成都市玉林街道玉林东路与大多数老城区面临的问题一样，房屋老化、绿化破败、道路狭窄、公共空间缺失，越来越无法满足居民公共生活所需。在这样条件紧张的老旧城区，我们是否可以有效整理、利用城市规划盲区里的剩余空间，是我们面对的第一个议题。作为社区公共空间，如何实现它的开放性和可持续性，是我们面对的第二个议题。

 

项目介绍及概念
项目从2018年设计启动至今，一共经历了3期提升过程。从巷子里残障友好空间的2020年落地，到2021年党群服务中心一楼室内及室外平台与社区舞台的提升，再到2022年睦林长寿食坊与配套用房的改造更新。街区是具有生长性的，面对城市更新议题，通过分期设计投入使用的过程，设计与功能也能和反馈与时间共同生长。作为设计方，我们希望持续陪伴街区生长；作为运营方，我们希望可以发挥空间的平台性，实践街区内与外、商业性与社会性的联动机制可能性。第一期我们通过巷子里残障友好空间，尝试探讨城市剩余空间的利用、社区空间可以呈现怎样的气质，以及与社区构架了一个具有开放性的共创运营机制。第二期第三期则是我们与当地共同变化、融合与成长，更多元更多方的共创团队加入后，社区街区作为一个小集群空间它应该如何呈现，以及如何满足有限条件下更多运营主体与使用需求的问题。

 

因此设计策略分为三点：
1）设置功能核，对空间提供特定功能需求支持；
2）其余空间为不被定义的多功能空间，满足不同尺度、密度、各种行为产生；
3）模糊空间之间、内外之间的边界，通过室内、半室内外灰空间与室外空间的调节，形成互相融合使用的弹性空间。

 

我们希望通过弹性的设计、弹性的空间布局形成边界模糊的社区场景，无论男女老少各种人群各自能享受到自己所喜爱的生活的同时，也能感受到其他人所喜爱的生活，共同感受到友好与美好。

 

项目阶段及点位具体说明
第一期提升：巷子里残障友好空间
巷子里是由成都市玉林东路社区支持，本设计团队策划、设计，与社区共同运营的社区残障友好空间。空间售卖咖啡、甜品、文创周边，不定期举办艺术展览、主题快闪、工作坊、市集等线下活动。巷子里希创造一个自由与平等的空间。呼吁大家更多地走出家门，扩大生活圈；同时也希望成为一个交流与孵化的窗口，吸引更多人发起和参与具有开放性的探索尝试。

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第二期提升：社区舞台
考虑舞台的非日常性与日常性，及作为休闲空间的公共使用，舞台设计需尽量减少落柱，采用悬挑结构。屋面与墙面脱离，通过阳光板连接，增加采光的同时，消弱体积感使得更漂浮轻薄。墙面凹嵌面板可推拉的金属柜，可用于社会各项活动海报与信息的告示张贴。

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第二期提升：社区党群服务中心一楼室内及前平台
入口平台与树荫部分相互对望，为居民提供日常休息与社区办事的停留、洽谈的同时，聚集了下象棋与聊天的居民。木平台适度的高差与宽度设计也为社区儿童合唱团与演奏社团提供了排练的空间。它既作为办公空间的前庭，也成为社区舞台的后场。

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第三期提升：社区配套用房
空间平面呈矩形。在均质的柱网关系中设置功能核对空间提供特定功能需求的支持，其余空间为不被定义的多功能空间。北端为社会服务内容，南端为商业内容并与巷子里形成对望围合。两端之间社区影院作为弹性空间，为两头的内容提供延展空间。达到动态调节服务与商业比例的作用。

 

配套用房——童年秘密档案馆：关注社区居民的个体经验与公共记忆，通过“唤醒”、“交互”、“再现”、“档案研究”等方式吸引居民参与的同时，也为历史学、心理学、人类学、教育学的方向专家学者提供了足够生动的研究资料，成为一个社区或一个街道常规“地方志”之外的生动补充。

 

配套用房——社工室：着眼于社区居民的需求，针对社区中的老年人、残障人士、妇女儿童等群体，运用专业工作方法和技巧，协助有需要的个人、家庭发挥潜能，提升个人社会功能。

 

配套用房——社区影院：汇集和展播青年文化作品，为社区搭建一个触手可及的观影空间，也为青年电影人和艺术家搭建一个展示交流的平台。​

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配套用房——在街上设计商店：设计、艺术、建筑、泛社会学相关的刊物与产品，以及巷子里自出发的田野研究。让青年人关注的资源信息、社交信息、社区服务信息流通起来，促进青年人依托社区、融入社区、参与社区治理。希望大家都可以带着纸本上街去，更加关注路上正发生的事。

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配套用房——李姐爱心理发屋：李姐和家人从90年代来到玉林，开设了理发屋。社区居民无论年龄大小，都称呼她为“李姐”。理发屋几十年如一日地为居民提供低偿理发服务，为社区行动不便的老人提供上门理发服务。

 

第三期提升：社区睦林长寿食坊
为社区居民提供就餐服务，每餐费用15元，70岁以上老人优惠3元。食坊还开展亲子厨房、玉林妈妈团、长者生日会等共享服务。从运行到今，食坊因方便快捷、价廉物美、营养可口的舒心饭菜和共享关爱服务受到社区居民称赞。

Photo Credits: ICY©ICYWORKS, Di Zhu, Vancy

摄影: ICY©ICYWORKS、朱迪、Vancy