South Architecture ›› 2025, Vol. 0 ›› Issue (07): 54-61.DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2025.07.006

• Research on Planning • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research on the Construction Mechanism and Ecological Wisdoms of Dike-Polder Settlements in Jianghan Plain: A Case Study Based on the Tianmen-Qianjiang-Mianyang Area

  

  • Online:2025-07-31 Published:2025-08-04
  • Contact: Pan Yingzi

江汉平原堤垸聚落模式、营建机制及其生态智慧研究——以天潜沔地区为例

  

  1. 1华中科技大学建筑与城市规划学院;2华中科技大学建筑与城市规划学院;3清华大学建筑学院
  • 通讯作者: 潘莹紫
  • 作者简介:1华中科技大学建筑与城市规划学院,博士研究生;2华中科技大学建筑与城市规划学院,硕士研究生;3清华大学建筑学院,博士研究生,通讯作者,电子邮箱:panyingzicn@foxmail.com
  • 基金资助:
    国家自然科学基金资助项目(52178038):基于湖河网络八景的区域风景特色及保护传承研究。

Abstract: The Jianghan Plain, which evolved from the ancient Yunmeng Marsh, serves as Central China's granary. Its dike-polder settlements represent a unique form developed over two millennia of human-water conflict. This study systematically analyzes the spatial patterns, construction mechanisms, and ecological wisdoms of these settlements in the Tianmen-Qianjiang-Mianyang region. From the perspective of "preparedness in times of peace", traditional disaster-response ecological wisdoms were extracted from these dike-polder settlements for contemporary application. This holds significant warning and referential value for ensuring the health of the human habitat in Jianghan Plain, enhancing its disaster resilience, and safeguarding national territorial space, grain production, and the safety of people's lives and property. 
  This study summarizes settlement evolution mechanisms across macro, meso and micro scales. At the macro scale, settlement contours were intelligently extracted using the AI Earth platform with a 5-pixel filtering threshold. A spatial overlay analysis of ZY-3 satellite remote sensing images and a digital elevation model (DEM) was carried out using ArcGIS. At the meso and micro scales, field surveys and spatial mapping were conducted of typical settlements like Gaoqiao Village and Qiwuling Village in Wangchang Town, Tianmen City, and Yufanfeng Village in Xiantao City. Their disaster response wisdoms were summarized by integrating terrain elevation data, water system distribution and prehistoric archaeological site data. 
  Three spatial patterns were revealed macroscopically: 
  (1) Hill-Basin settlements, distributed in the northern low hills of Tianmen (elevation 35~50 meters, 10.82%), form a vertical disaster-prevention pattern of "dwellings on ridges-fields in valleys-ponds for water storage" based on the natural ridges.
  (2) Dike-Platform settlements, concentrated along the Han River plains (69.73%), situated as linear developments on artificially constructed platforms about 4m high, with dike crests significantly higher than historical flood levels. This achieves the dual function of habitation safety and proximity to farmland. 
  (3) Grid-Platform settlements in the southwestern lowlands (15.36%) formed the "kilometer-grid" patterned settlements (about 2m high) based on the water conservancy projects from the 1950~1960s. They form comprehensive waterlogging-resistant corridors by integrating roads, ditches, settlement buildings and polder fields. These three types of settlements reflect the environmental adaptive gradient from hills to lowlands through their construction modes.
  A four-phase construction mechanism was refined from meso-scale and micro-scale investigations: 
  (1) "Pond digging and platform building": Earthwork balance was achieved by vertically digging 2m-deep ponds and building platforms, forming an integrated pond-platform-polder field structure. 
  (2) "Platform connection into dikes": Driven by clan proliferation (seven major surnames in Qiwuling Village), platforms were extended eastward and westward to form settlement clusters through great efforts over a century; 
  (3) "Encircling dikes into polders": A multi-level water system (main canal → branch canal → paddy field) was built by enclosing farmland with primary and secondary dikes for simultaneous irrigation and drainage.
  (4) "Fishing, wood cutting, farming, and studyin": Ecological cycles were deepened. The pond system of "fish farming→ silt fertilizing mulberry trees→ mulberries feeding fish" was applied to support the fishing industry. Platform trees offered building materials of "catalpa wood for beams" and firewood. The ditch network of polders guaranteed farming, while peaceful living and study were realized through the elevated schools, ultimately embodying the ecological philosophy of "humanity-nature harmony". 
  These mechanisms embody three core ecological wisdoms. (1) In terms of vertical adaptation, the elevation sequence (Hill-Basin > Dike-Platform > Han River water level> Grid-Platform) progressively mitigates flood risk. (2) For resource cycling, the pond system forms a closed material flow, achieving sustainable yields of "double benefits and tenfold crop yields". (3) In facility intensification, platforms act as a "trifunctional" (production-living-ecology) carrier that integrates buildings, roads, drying yards, irrigation ditches, and shelterbelts, thus enhancing land efficiency significantly. 
  Major water conservancy projects like the Three Gorges Dam and Jingjiang Levee have shielded the Jianghan Plain from flood disasters for nearly 50 years. However, this study shows they have also led to a diminishing awareness of disaster preparedness in human habitat planning and construction within the plain. It is urgent to revive the preparedness wisdom of "deepening ponds and elevating platforms" and strengthen the Jianghan Plain's disaster resilience to safeguard national territorial space, grain production, and people's lives and property. 


Key words: Jianghan Plain, polder settlements, construction mechanism, ecological wisdoms

摘要: 江汉平原由古云梦泽演化而来,其堤垸聚落是在两千多年的人水抗争中发展出来的独特形式,其中蕴含着丰富的生态智慧。宏观上运用AI Earth,识别出不同聚落的用地分布,根据地形与聚落形态特征归纳出岗塆型、堤台型、网台型三类空间模式,并从时间、竖向、水利、设施综合四方面阐述了其聚落择地与高效用地的思想智慧;然后重点围绕堤台式、网台式两种江汉平原的堤垸聚落模式,归纳出“挖塘筑台、土方平衡”“连台成堤、高枕人居”“围堤成垸、渠网田园”“渔樵耕读、天人合一”的聚落生成过程,并解析了其水塘、堤台、垸田系统的生态格局与智慧。以期拓展对江汉平原堤垸聚落空间营造机制的认识并体现对其中生态智慧的发掘与提升。


关键词: 江汉平原, 堤垸聚落, 营建机制, 生态智慧

CLC Number: