Exploring the spatial pattern of historic Chinese towns and cities: A syntactical approach

Abstract

This study explores the spatial pattern of Historic Chinese Towns and Cities (HCTC) by using a syntactic approach. The HCTC is an important element of the built environment and exhibits a variety of unique spatial characteristics. Although previous research has been focused on qualitative analysis, a quantitative approach to exploring this issue is scarce, leading to insufficient understanding of the spatial characteristics of HCTC. This study presents a quantitative approach to analyzing the spatial pattern of HCTC by utilizing the space syntax method. Four well-preserved historic towns were selected as case studies, each representing a typical spatial type of historic town in China. A series of mathematical measures from space syntax were used to explore the spatial characteristics of HCTC, facilitating expanded interpretation of traditional Chinese ideologies. Results contribute to a more critical understanding of the spatial pattern of HCTC.

Keywords

• Historic Chinese towns and cities
• Space syntax
• Syntactical approach
• Star model
• Mathematical measure