Abstract

Neighborhood open spaces are the most frequently used public spaces by people in an urban community, as one of the most fundamental factors that influence the quality of urban life and the shape of urban identity. The basic features of urban forms within a city are heavily relied upon the spatial composition and cultural representation of its neighborhood open spaces. However, people’s engagement with neighborhood open spaces is complicated and often affected by various factors. As a result, it is critical to understand whether neighborhood open spaces’ spatial composition is more defined by their physical and functional properties or is more shaped by different cultural practices and lifestyles. This article compares the spatial forms and actual uses of neighborhood open spaces from three cities: Seattle (United States), Kuwait City (Kuwait), and Xi’an (China), each of which has an urban population of around four million and is socially, politically, and economically significant in its region, representing three case studies from different cultures, and climatic and geographical contexts. Employing survey, interview, and field observation, this article explains the similarities and differences in terms of spatial forms of neighborhood open spaces and also identifies several variables that impact the performance and visual perception of neighborhood open spaces and in turn influence the composition of urban forms.