Research On Tourism Function Of Modern City Squares In China

City squares are widely recognized as the most dynamic and the most symbolic part of urban public spaces for activities. They act not only as the carriers of urban morphology but also as the representations of urban culture. In addition to being a recreation and amusement place for citizens, city square, to a certain degree, stands for the image of the city and acts as the most intuitive window for tourists to explore the city. With the rapid development of modern tourism, some of city squares are gradually turning into the most important tourism landscapes.On the basis of tourism science and urban planning theory, this thesis introduces the theories from such subjects as architecture, geography, ecology and behavior psychology and so on, carries out the researches on the subjects and functions of city squares and puts forward an evaluation method which focuses on the tourism function of city squares. The purpose for doing so is to systematically recognize and accurately orientate the tourism function of modern city squares, and to provide theoretical and practical guidance for the construction of city squares in China, especially for those primarily functioning as tourism landscapes. The main contents of this thesis are as following:First, the thesis makes theoretical analysis on city square, including the concept and characteristics of a city square, basic theoretical theories, the development history and research status of city squares both in China and in foreign countries, and the specific role that a modern city square plays in city landscapes.Second, the analysis on the types and functions of city squares are conducted. In this thesis, city squares are classified based on the size of tourism functions, which has gone beyond the traditional means of classification. With the researches on the psychological needs and behavioral patterns of modern city squares'subject—human being, the functional types of modern city squares are determined, and the study is focused on the squares'function as tourism landscapes.Third, the influencing factors on tourism function of city squares are analyzed, whose specific contents include regional environment influencing factors and locational influencing factors. The regional environment influencing factors mainly refer to the natural, social and economic environments of the city in which a square is located, while the factors of locational influence refer to the location, pattern, cultural connotation and other constituent elements of city squares themselves.Furthermore, tourism function of modern city squares is then evaluated. The evaluation indexes for tourism function of city squares are confirmed based on the influencing factors, and an evaluation model is established by using the Grey Comprehensive Evaluation Method. It is aimed at the systematicness and scientificity of the evaluation process.Finally, the construction of city squares in Dalian City is taken as example in the part of empirical analysis. A large amount of first-hand data have been collected after on-the-spot investigation. Xinghai Square and People's Square in Dalian City have been selected for their most representativeness. Then the index evaluation model designed is applied to the analysis and comparison. Thus, the roles that different kinds of city squares play in city tourism are established and the references for the construction of tourism function of city squares in China may be provided.