Open spaces and pedestrians are two important elements which defines the image of a city and promote urban communal life. In the modern cities these important elements are less privileged looking back into the ancient times, cities were designed in the sense that street spaces and public spaces were used as point of interaction and leisure activities across all cultures around the world. Despite the changes in cultural values but the city morphology should reflect people’s daily life. Hence, promoting a good use of public spaces is one of the most effective ways to give rise to the positive public life that vitalizes the city’s social and economic development.

Sense of place is a widely discussed concept in field of urban design and is as diverse as environmental psychology and art. Also it has attraction in the field of public life and direct impact on people’s daily lives. People have not changed as much as the cities. Our living places should respond to the needs of the people by adhering to the concept of pedestrianism and live public life.

RESEARCH AIM:
This research aims at a identifying the elements which can promote the sense of spaces in CBD’s areas by comparing two cities of La Paz and Chongqing because of their similarities both on topography and densities. A detailed field and questionnaires survey was conducted on both cities where the results shows that around the streets of Chongqing and La Paz, urban spaces in the CBD have a bad spatial quality. Most of the streets were found to be invaded by stationary activities like: vendors, lack of permanent and well organized sits, lack of safety (in La Paz), conflicting vehicular traffic, lack of proper parking spaces, inadequate street lighting, urban acoustic, bad drainage systems and sanitation. Furthermore, lack ofhierarchy design approach was found to be the big problem facing both cities, whereby lack of a clear definition of public, semi public and private spaces was named by most respondents as the key issue causing people to feel like they are not adapted to spaces.

DESIGN RECOMENDATIONS

Therefore, this research provides the suggestion on how to achieve the livable urban public life in the modern high density places and providing a good physical conditions which will involve a healthy, safe and sustainable city. Including public participation in the whole process of urban design is a key issue of ensuring a livable city and revitalizing the urban life while keeping the essence of their culture. Introducing variety of cultural activities, providing good and safe amenities, making good connections to the rest of the places, ensuring space quality, providing different levels of spaces (public, semi public and private spaces) and ensuring their safety will make people stay more time to the spaces and interact effectively. Lastly, promoting the use of public transport will help to keep cars away from the public urban life.