A Study On The Object-Type Evolvement Of Classic Theoretical Thoughts Of Western Urban Planning Since Nineteenth Centrury

Confronting many external problems both on global and national level, as well as the internal problems throughout the whole planning discipline, theoretical study and historical study (In Appendix A)., it is indispensable for Chinese planners to study the classic theoretical thoughts of western urban planning. While distilling the laws from the evolvement of these thoughts planners can take them as references for current and future study, practice and education. Four factors enable this kind of study: 1) the dialectic unification between individuality/ particularity and commonness/universality, 2) some universal laws and goals that China and the West are both confronting, 3) the contextual similarity and comparability between China and the West, 4) the facilitation by increasing intercommunion and progressing technology.In China, currently there is a lack of systematic study on philosophy/methodology of history in urban planning history as well as in the history of theoretical thoughts in urban planning. Therefore, following the logic from general history to urban planning history, the author systematically analyzed and summarized the philosophy of urban planning history as the presupposition, the object-type and methodology of history of theoretical thoughts in urban planning which will be use later.In the study review, the author: 1) Briefly went through the actuality of different types of urban planning history, and their feasibility as the historical materials of history of theoretical thoughts in urban planning; 2) Summarized the disadvantages in current history of theoretical thoughts of urban planning, from the aspects of object types and methodology; to be specific, the later can be divided into study purpose, scope and application of historical materials, methods and the standardization of the study; 3) Generalized nine current standards used to classify various theoretical thoughts of urban planning, and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of these standards; 4) Generalized two dominant methods used to periodize the evolvement of classic theoretical thoughts of urban planning: by single standard and by comprehensive/mixed standards; and discussed their advantages and disadvantages.On the basis above, the author tried to establish an analytic framework which combines history and logic and balance between qualitative/quantitative paradigms, to describe, analyze, and induce the features and laws of the object-type evolvement process of classic theoretical thoughts of western urban planning: 1) Taking the view of human conscious behavior, following the logic from general behavior to urban planning behavior, the author analyzed the elements of general behavior and their mutual relation, as well as the particularity of cognitive behavior and practice of urban planning (In Appendix B). Based on this analysis and along with the advantages of existing study, the author proposed a typology of theoretical thoughts of urban planning as the simultaneous method to study the evolvement of classic theoretical thoughts of western urban planning; 2) Based on the analysis of time and periods, the author argued that the nature of periodization is a subjective classification of time by certain attribute. Furthermore, along with the analysis on the process of theoretical thoughts from emergence, popularization, influence, declining to abandonment, the author proposed a method to locate individual theoretical thought into its chronological position, and along with the advantages of existing study, proposed a method, which combines history and logic to periodize the evolvement of theoretical thoughts of western urban planning.The author argued that the so-called classic theoretical thoughts are essentially the outcome of a selection which is under certain standards, impacted by internal/external factors and is inevitably subjective. Therefore, the author proposed a method used in individual and partial study to decrease the subjectivity, furthermore, classified and located the chosen items which are regarded as classic theoretical thoughts here into the analytic framework.After establishing the framework and method, the individual items were positioned into typological and chronological framework, which induced the description and analysis, generalization and explanation to specific evolvement process and laws: 1) According to object-types, described the evolvement process of classic theoretical thoughts and features in certain periods; 2) By analyzing and comparing the internal/logical factors with external/contextual factors, the author proposed six phases of evolvement of classic theoretical thoughts of western urban planning; 3) Described and analyzed the features of each phase; 4) By combining the features of typology and chronology, summarized four laws which represent the circular-linear evolvement of classic theoretical thoughts of western urban planning; 5) In conclusion, proposed an abstract formula to represent the four laws, to describe and explain the evolvement of classic theoretical thoughts of western urban planning and corresponding main features of each phase.Finally, the main conclusions, innovations and shortcomings were summarized, and the problems requiring further studies are discussed.