In my opinion piece published at the beginning of June, I criticized urban development for a lack of attention paid to ordinary residents, pedestrians and a preference for Western features over local characteristics. Recently, the term "human scale" in urban development has been discussed among scholars. To me, this term can be broken down into the following aspects in efforts to improve our city.

As urban dwellers, our experiences tell us that we can have uncomfortable feelings such as detachment or depression in certain environments. Actually only user-friendly environments that are easily accessible can make us feel "intimate". For example, a park that is within walking distance can easily become a part of our daily life and is an instance of urban development oriented to the needs of the public.

A city comes to life with the activities carried out by its residents. City dwellers are capable of continuously discovering new ways to use space and incorporate their needs into streets, parks, squares and fun fairs. Visitors to Paris cannot fail to notice the scenes of college professors discussing philosophy with their students while savouring sandwiches. Many Chinese tourists marvel at the rich cultural ambiance in Paris, yet they are not aware of the fact that it is these trivial things that have given the city its ambiance.

Urban construction should do its best to reduce the social injustice brought by the differences in income, power and prestige. The urban environment is made up of public facilities that should be used fairly by all citizens, since they have been funded by public money collected from taxpayers.

When we give the public priority in urban planning, it is necessary to note that the measures taken should satisfy the public's basic needs. Safe, comfortable and convenient services, rather than beautiful scenery, deserve the most attention. Beautiful views only make sense if they also provide convenience to the public. The practice of covering pavements with expensive materials is neither safe nor in good taste.

The city is more than a space where the public live - it has many symbolic meanings. It is only natural that we attach different feelings to various places in the city. In Shanghai, the skyline on the Bund never fails to activate local people's rich imagination. "Home" does not only refer to the apartment or villa one lives in, but also the neighbourhood and community.

Both ancient Oriental wisdom about the union between nature and mankind and a new ecologically friendly viewpoint suggest the necessity of harmonizing nature and humanism in urban planning. However, in cities, nature is more than something we can admire at a distance - it should be more like the flowers planted in our balconies. Meanwhile, intimate contact with nature is a far cry from the exploitation of nature - the latter is nothing but commercialization. In recent years, real estate has boomed along the city's Suzhou Creek. It is absolutely not appropriate that the river's beautiful waterfront scenery should become the exclusive domain of real estate developers.

(The author is a sociology professor of Fudan University)