The localization of “imported” urban form in Northeast China: the case study on circular–radial space in Dalian City
image: Distribution of the case sites of circular–radial space in Dalian (Source: Baidu Maps) view more
Credit: Liu Jiankun, Atsushi Deguchi
After the “imported” urban forms, which originated from foreign cultures, were transplanted into Chinese cities, they generate brand-new urbanscape but suffer from a lack of cultural roots and a disconnection with the mainstream of contemporary urban planning. Thus, their current value and potential in urban renewal are questioned. The study takes the circular–radial space from the Baroque cities as an example to clarify the motivation of its import from the west to northeast China. It further clarifies their adaptive changes in form and function in the local urban context, through a case study on Dalian City.
The study finds that different geometric patterns of existing circular–radial space were influenced by European, American, and Japanese urban planning theories to varying degrees, but with equal emphasis on symbolism and functionality. Their implementation in Dalian has a continuity in time and space. But due to the changes in topography, traffic, and planning concepts, their forms and functions tend to be independent, their connection weakens, and their importance recedes after the street network. The circular–radial space in Dalian led to distinctive urbanscape. But during their inheritance and transformation, the rationality of new forms and functions, as well as the necessity of continuing the initial ones need to be dialectically considered, so as to avoid dogmatic revival and antique reproduction.
Finally, the study reconsiders the concept of “localization” of “imported” urban form, and constructs a general research pattern to provide a new perspective for understanding the transformation of similar types of urban forms.
Circular–radial space, the imported urban form in this research, has weak cultural roots in Chinese cities and is often separated from the mainstream of urban construction. In its long-term adaptation to the local urban context, its original planning motives and characteristics on the one hand are gradually lost, and on the other hand have developed new forms and functions that fit the local characteristics. Therefore, its value in urban renewal cannot be ignored, and its strategies for preservation and renovation should not be generic.
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Cite this article
Liu, J., & Deguchi, A. (2022). The Localization of “Imported” Urban Form in Northeast China: The Case Study on Circular–Radial Space in Dalian City. Landscape Architecture Frontiers, 10(6), 32‒47. https://doi.org/10.15302/J-LAF-1-020071
About Researchers
Liu Jiankun, School of Architecture, Tianjin University
Atsushi Deguchi, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
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