Study Of Urban Design Considerations On Shan-Shui Elements In Ancient Chinese Cities

The logic and the method of urban design between ancient China and western countries are different, especially the method of design with nature. It led people to create lots of fantastic Chinese style urban spaces in history. Studies of these have never been stopped, but most of them focus on the etiquette or the principles. Researches on Shan-Shui factors of urban design are always limited in mode study of geomancy. It's hard to form some helpful achievements for today's urban design practice. This thesis focuses on detailed case studies of the Shan-Shui design factors in ancient Chinese cities.In this thesis, with the reference to related literature, it starts with the analysis of the three properties of Shan-Shui: the properties of nature, culture and aesthetics. Based on the analysis of traditional theories of urban design, geomancy, painting, etc, it concludes how the design of ancient Chinese cities was influenced by six aspects of the Shan-Shui factors, including choosing the site, defining of the middle axis, scale control, viewing angle control, landscape control and 3D forms control of architecture. The design methods in each aspect are studied in various cases in Chengde and Nanjing, with the tools of ancient maps, aerial photos, relief maps, photos and Google Earth.In the end, it reviews the present urban design practice with the urban design methods considering Shan-Shui factors which are reflected from the ancient cities. It illustrates the possibility of applying Google Earth to urban design practice to enhance the involvement of designers, the importance of connecting ancient cities with Shan-Shui which should be protected in the integrally protecting process of ancient cities, the establishment of characteristics of modern cities and building-height control with Shan-Shui sense.