Comparative Study Between Urban Morphology Of The Historical Districts In Guangzhou And Birmingham

Urban morphology which is originated in the west, constructed a system of theory andmethod to analyze the urban landscape, and strengthened the relationship between theresearch of urban morphology and urban conservation. The research has breakthrough thelimit of just European cities, is now extending to the other different cultural environment inthe worldwide. The research scholars of Conzenian school have done a series of case studiesin China. Facing the difficulties of research in China, this thesis tries to adjust the method tothe environment of Chinese cities, then apply it to the case study of historical district inGuangzhou, and carry out a cross-cultural research between the cases in Birmingham andGuangzhou, and find the causes of urban form. At the last, it tries to generalize the rules of theevolution of historical district, and put forward suggestions for the urban conservationThe core of this thesis is Sino-British cross-cultural research of historical district, themain part is the comparison between the case studies in Guangzhou and Birmingham. Thisthesis chooses the typical traditional historical districts in Guangzhou andBirmingham----Selly oak area and Baohua Road area. This thesis apply the method of urbanmorphological regionalization to the comparison: compares the two cases from the point ofview of plan units, building types, land and building utilization, combs their differentevolution of urban morphology, excavate the different Socio-economic motives, try tounderstand the urban morphological regions.Chapter1is introduction. First, it will elaborate the purpose of my research. Then, it willintroduce the situation of the research of urban form and historical district in China. InChapter2, firstly it is the overview of western urban morphology, including the concepts,developments, and the integration of different schools. Meanwhile, it will further elaborate thetheory of conzenian school, and focus on the application of the theory into urbanconservation which is the emphasis of the research of urban morphology in the future. Then, itillustrates the difficulties to apply the conzenian theory to the research of Chinese cities andhow to solve it. At the last, it will talk about the method and framework of this thesis.Chapter3to6is about the comparison of the two cases----“Selly oak area” and “LiwanBaohua Road area”. Chapter3answers the question of “why choose these two areas”. Itrelates the background of the two areas, and explain the reason of choosing these them andthe meaning of comparison: they are both the traditional areas of mixture of residential andcommercial land in Birmingham and Guangzhou, which are in the similar time span,and in the similar urban regaining. Chapte4、5、6will compare the two cases from the point of viewof plan units, building types, Land and building utilization which are the three factors ofurban morphological region. In the analysis of plan unit in chapter4, plan unit is subdividedinto three form elements of street system, plot pattern, building arrangement. On the basis ofdifferent levels of morphological comparison, it will excavate the different form of the twocases, and then find the causes of urban form. Under the control of elaborate planning, Britishcities formed a regular stable morphological texture. And under the management of extensiveplanning and autonomy folk development, the form of Chinese cities become relativelyconfusion.Chapter5is the analysis of “building type” and “land and building utilization”. There is acomplete set of building type system in Selly oak. On the other hand, from Qing to Minguoperiod, there is a traditional lingnan building type system in Baohua road area. But it fracturedafter1949, and the building system fell into disorder. In the research of land and buildingutilization, selly oak area is in the process of “functional trimming”, and baohua road area isin the process of “rapid change”. At the last, on the basis of the three components, it gets theurban morphological region in chapter6. In the process of “gradual development”, it formsthe shape of clear zoning of urban morphological region in Selly oak area. And in the processof “repeat transformation”, it forms the shape of “piece collection”. The different urban formreflects the different social-economic evolution process: the peaceful decades of Birminghamand the unrest decades of Guangzhou.In the chapter7, firstly it investigates the relationship between urban development andurban conservation; and then it summarizes the rules of the evolution of historical district,emphasizes that plan units especially the street system has great controlling force for theurban form; meanwhile it analysis the influence of development policy and managing systemfor the urban form; and criticizes the mistake of urban conservation in Chinese cities theseyears. Then I think urban form has strong historical and geographical features, and theconservation of historical district should consult the urban morphological region, and supposethe protection order of form element: street—plot—building—land utilization.At last, it is the conclusion. First, it summarizes the conclusions of comparison of the twocase studies. In the relatively stable, sustainable developmental social-economic environmentin Birmingham, following the order of development which is“planning—construction--control”, the urban form of Selly oak areas shows thecharacteristics of “gradual development”, and the urban morphological region shows obviouscharacteristics of historical period. In the relatively fluctuated, dramatically changing social-economic environment in Guangzhou, following the order of development which is“construction—planning--transform”, the urban form of Baohua road area shows thecharacteristics of mixed historical types, which is in the repetitive urban transformation mostof the time. And the innovation of this thesis is that it tries to adjust the method to theenvironment of Chinese cities, carry out a cross-cultural research between the cases inBirmingham and Guangzhou, and establish the relationship between urban morphologicalresearch and urban conservation.