Planning Strategies Of The Rapid Urbanization Process In The Evolution Of The Urban Landscape And The Convergence

Ever since China started its process of opening up and reforms, gradually its cities have started losing their own identity in terms of city cultural identity, in terms of style, space arrangement, landscape and architecture. This has entails increasing critique from various social sectors. The loss of a city's personality and the growing single one look among different cities are the result of the urbanization in China and is a fact urban researchers have to face.Urban landscape is a major aspect of urban culture. Its loss of character is a major signal that the city losing its own character and are transforming into one character. Thus, the transformation and lose of identity of urban landscape directly or indirectly reflect the similar tendency of urban culture. This dissertation is to find the solution to these problems of urban culture through studying the urban landscape, exploring the path of its transformation and the rules by which it transformed as well as the reasons behind.City planning is the means through which the government exercises its duty, through making, implementing, supervising its planning policies. This is how a city shapes its space arrangement and a landscape. This dissertation aims at approaching the problem through the perspective of city planning, taking the fast urbanization process and the changing of landscape in the city of Hangzhou as a case study. It attempts to provide a solution to this problem. The research will innovatively introduce angles of aesthetic values and government behavior theories into city planning, by examining city development from a historic point of view. The goal is to find effective method to solve the problem of cities all aggregating to one look.The article is divided into five parts, eleven chapters.Part one addresses the history formation of aesthetic values in the urban landscape of Hangzhou, before China adopted the opening up and reform policy with the view of history. From the point view of history, this part examines the relationship between social economic development and the formation of the unique urban landscape, and its relationship with the formation of the urban culture. Based on that, it divides the traditional city landscape components into city defense, water network, streets and lanes, architecture and public space, etc. It will try to project in details the formation and relations among "Mountain, Water and City" and evaluate the relationship between city defense and water network, street/lane distribution, architecture style, open space, cultural landscape and historic sites.Part two examines the confusion in urban development triggered by reform and opening up in China as well as the lost of value system among urban landscape. By then, China; has entered a phase of fast urbanization. During that period of time, urban development took on new features and trend. Considering that background, this part of the dissertation looks at the impact left by social economic development on urban landscape, and explains changes in urban planning thoughts as well the subsequent impact on the landscape. Such a background dictates an urban landscape of globalization, visualizing the transformation of the functions of a city into its landscape features. To be more specific: urban expansion, a blurred borders, disruption of balance among streets and lanes distribution, a disconnection within communities, damage to water system and greenbelts, worsening of the ecosystem, mismatch architectural styles and compressed spaces. Part three discusses problems in urban landscape in Hangzhou since21century, exploring the loss of city spirit and the process of how to make it up.21century has witnessed a boom in globalization, information, and urbanization. By then, after two decades of fast growth, people have come to detect how serious the problem is, in the fast changing face of a city. Hangzhou residents, as well visitors, have all identified the loss. Efforts were made to restore the city's spirit.Part four takes Hangzhou as a sample to discuss the experiment of rebuilding the unique urban landscape image as well as the values. Through an in-depth analysis, the dissertation believes under the background of the fast urbanization, in order to avoid every city taking the same image, protect and prolong the city's unique features, the following few points need to be addressed:build a clear defined urban cultural aesthetic value system; build a complete overall city general landscape image system; hold on to the elements that constitute the core feature of a city; scientific urban management decision-making mechanism and a elite urban planning technical support system. Taking example of the current planning regarding the relationship between the West Lake cultural landscape and the urban space along its eastern bank, this part expounds a new thinking of how to continue the landscape features under the restructuring of urban culture, guided by city planning. It will also discuss the future development of urban landscape features under the present time, citing the example of the loss of traditional culture in the development of new city, a rise of spirit of the time, and the innovation of urban planning techniques.Part five is devoted to explore the problems. It discusses major development issues, summarize the practice of forming a unique urban landscape of Hangzhou, and provide suggestions, in terms of both administration and techniques, to solve the problem of cities taking on a similar look. To solve this problem through the means of city planning is a process of rationalizing the administration authority, building a multi-layer elite team and a legal procedure in stipulating city planning policies and a supervision mechanism. To establish a social coordination mechanism is the root of protecting public interests. It also provides a platform for the multi-layer social factors to express their interests and values. Among the numerous cities in China, Hangzhou is recognized as a comparatively successful example in preserving its unique urban landscape. The dissertation will take some concrete case studies in Hangzhou and explore the ways to rebuild special features of urban space landscape, hoping to provide some reference to reduce the problem of the growing cultural single character among the cities in China.