South Architecture ›› 2024, Vol. 0 ›› Issue (11): 69-77.DOI: 10.3969/j. issn.1000-0232. 2024. 11. 008

• Urban Design • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Landscape and its Topological Regeneration of Nancheng Historical Blocks in Wuchang from the Perspective of the "Embankment-Street" Evolution

ZHAO Hengyu, SUN Yue   

  • Online:2024-11-30 Published:2024-11-30

“堤-街”衍变视角下的武昌南城历史街区景观及其拓扑再生

赵衡宇1,孙 悦2   

  • 作者简介:1武汉工程大学艺术设计学院、武汉工程大学生态环境设计研究中心,教授,电子邮箱:305877795@qq.com;2武汉工程大学艺术设计学院,硕士研究生
  • 基金资助:
    湖北省高等学校哲学社会科学研究重大项目(22ZD075):长江中游段传统民居的生态营建技艺与文化研究。

Abstract: With the modernization of urban construction, the urban traditional water system pattern and ecological texture have undergone wide and drastic changes. Wuchang Ancient Town was developed because of water, and the formation and development of urban blocks are closely related to it. By studying the landscape of Nancheng historical blocks in Wuchang, urban imagery and the spirit of place are recognized to provide a reference value for protecting urban historical blocks and the organic renewal of urban space.
  The developments of Wuchang Ancient Town have experienced various universal changes, such as degradation of the water system, changes to land and water transportation, and reorganization of urban boundaries, which are typical of Wuchang's transformation from an ancient water town to a modern metropolis. The evolution of the two old blocks of Bapu Street and Baoan Street in Nancheng is analyzed as an example to understand the intervention and change of the waterfront landscape by the urban living environment based on a three-dimensional perspective of multiple dimensions of space and time. First, the land and water landscape replacement process, embankment-street morphology reorganization, and street space derivation in the historical blocks are carefully distinguished. The evolution of historical blocks is interpreted and analyzed to understand the morphological changes and recognizability from multiple dimensions, including sensory communication and semantic information of landscape behavior. Second, the psychological identity of "embankment-street" across time and geographical dimensions is analyzed. The expressive task of historical blocks is often realized by controlling and guiding human-land interactions and social structures. Readability is interpreted in two ways—phenomenological and semiotic representations—revealing that the names of surface features and landscape characteristics preserve much of precious collective memory. Therefore, there is a need for more compatible research methods between the landscape and symbols of historical blocks. Finally, the concept of "topology" is introduced into the study of historical blocks through the topological relationship of "embankment-street"; old and new embankments, old and new buildings, and the various schemes of "embankment-street" prototype construction information are summarized in terms of structure, order, emptiness, and reality.
  The unique landscape of "embankment-street" mutual growth has formed in-depth value cognition, thus discovering the important law of the spatial topological growth of "embankment-street" and summarizing the renewal mechanism of the historical block's self-expansion and derivation. The results from topological pattern clustering analysis are more valuable than the traditional description of indicators. It is necessary to explore further the inner production logic of waterfront settlements that have constantly renewed, upgraded, and iterated in different periods. The case study of two historical blocks inside and outside of Nancheng presents the process of transformation and cyclic regeneration of the landscape qualities of urban historical blocks, which is the uninterrupted "water culture" of Wuchang, an ancient town on the waterfront. It is particularly inspiring for the renewal of old towns and the continuity of the local landscape. The evolution of "street-embankment" is closely linked, and its historical imprint plays an important role in urban renewal. It is clear that the memory of "street-embankment" is transformed into a text and symbol system that continues to extend. Moreover, with the help of the residual material and spatial carriers, it effectively conveys the information to the public, evokes the people's identity and sense of belonging to the city, and highlights the city's cultural heritage and historical characteristics.
  The unique "embankment-street" landscape pattern is a non-renewable urban landscape heritage. For the once marginalized waterfront blocks, it is necessary to recognize the mechanism of their historical evolution in the process of modernization and change and carefully renovate them to promote the organic growth and renewal of this vulnerable space. It should be approached as spatial topology and regeneration, with environmental restoration instead of large-scale demolition and construction. Therefore, a more diversified understanding of urban heritage requires greater cognizance of the complexity, contradiction, creativity, and aesthetics of urban historical space. It is a typical example of the joint participation and co-creation of urban habitat behaviors, which is especially important for cultural dissemination.

Key words: embankment-street, waterfront block, type derivation, topological growth

摘要: 武昌古城因水而兴,城市街区的形成与发展与之密切相关。研究武昌南城历史街区景观,认知城市意象和场所精神,以对历史街区的保育与城市街区有机更新提供借鉴价值。以南城八铺街、保安街两个老街区为案例,梳理水陆地景更替、堤街形态重组与街巷空间衍生等有机衍变过程。对基于“堤-街”相互衍生的独特景观价值形成深度认知,发现了街区自我增衍、自我更新之机制,得出街区景观拓扑生长的内在机理和重要规律。独特的“堤-街”地景格局是不可再生的城市景观遗产,在边缘化、碎片化的滨水历史街区的现代化更新过程中,要充分认知其拓扑演变的完整性与价值,同时增强适应性,促进其有机生长更新。

关键词: 堤-街, 滨水街区, 类型衍化, 拓扑生长

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