Addressing cities’ color issues and planning urban colors with regional features to preserve the history and culture of cities: the case of Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou (China)

Abstract

Although there are many remarkable examples of color traditions from different parts of the world, many cities still face color-related issues, such as lack of regionality and clutter. Since the color issues of different cities vary, the solutions must also be different. This paper examines the old urban areas of Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou in China as a case study to investigate how to solve urban color problems and shape the architectural color with regional characteristics. By exploring the spatial distribution of color categories and the interval distribution of color attribute values, this paper finds that the increase in colored buildings (especially along the main roads) and the excessive chromaticity of new buildings affect the regionality of urban colors. Therefore, we propose restoring urban color by establishing color zoning and controlling chromaticity to increase cultural diversity, promote economic vitality, and enhance people’s sense of belonging. The planning of urban color and the establishment of color patterns with regional characteristics are of positive significance for the development of urban history, culture, and habitat.

Keywords

• urban color planning
• color regional characteristics
• urban historical and cultural preservation
• the geography of color concept
• color categories