The research focuses on the spontaneous space created by residents, and attempting to link the value of them with the localization of participatory design. It defines spontaneous space as a bottom-up outcome of residents recreating existing public space based on their daily needs. And these spaces are common in rural resettlement xiaoqus, which were established to relocate "Land-lost farmers (Shidinongmin)" after a amount of agricultural or communal land was requisitioned as urbanization, due to the design of homogeneous modern xiaoqu is perceived to be unsuitable for inhabitants' demands.

The study takes the Xinyu xiaoqu in Changsha City, Hunan Province, China, as an example, which is the largest rural resettlement xiaoqu in Changsha, and there are amounts of spontaneous spaces that can be seen there as a representation of residents' spatial demands, challenging the space established by policymakers, planners, and developers. However, spontaneous behaviour is forbidden according to the agreement of Xinyu, as well as their worth has not been recognized by the general public.

As a result, the purpose of the research is to rediscover the democratic creativity and social benefits represented in spontaneous space through the application of participatory design theory to empower the general public. Because these spaces embody collective wisdom and grassroots art, which are precisely the important components emphazised by participatory design, which defined in the study that residents' practices have a direct influence on the outcomes of design with the support of designers.