Small-scale Interventions as Social Support Interfaces Strengthening Social Capital in China's Informal Settlements -- A case study of Beijing's Small Property Right Housing

Sammanfattning

In the context of global urbanization, people often associate informal settlements with poor living conditions, limited infrastructure, and insecure housing. However, China’s Small Property Rights Housing (SPRH) challenges this conventional image of informal status. Residents do not primarily struggle with material poverty. Instead, lacking legally recognized property rights, they experience tenure insecurity. Sociological research suggests that social capital strengthens residents’ perceived security by giving support during external uncertainties, such as policy changes, eviction risk, or demolition threats (Zhang, 2022). Yet, mass-produced SPRH communities usually provide public spaces that remain homogeneous and residual. These spaces often fail to enable sustained neighborly interaction. In response to this challenge, this design project uses micro-scale architectural interventions as social support interfaces. By transforming underused spaces into places for spontaneous encounter and shared everyday practices, the project aims to strengthen neighborly connections and gradually build social capital. In this way, architecture is understood not as a direct solution to tenure insecurity, but as a medium through which everyday social support can be made more visible, accessible, and durable.