ON THE “TRIO” OF BEAUTIFUL CITIES

Abstract

Urban quality improvement and the construction and management of high-quality beautiful cities have been considered a prioritized initiative across China. Beautiful cities are built on the harmony and symbiosis between human and the nature. This only route to sustainable development consists of three dimensions: 1) the deep structure of the beautiful city, i.e. a good site selection that realizes an interwoven pattern between urban matrix and natural ecological network, which could be reflected in spatial configurations of both “the city in nature” and “the nature in the city”; 2) the deep appearance and style of the beautiful city, deriving from the natural topography, process, and climatic conditions to guarantee the ecological adaptation to the nature; and 3) the green lifestyle of the beautiful city, which guides citizens to green living, green traveling, and green consumption so as to reserve sufficient development space for generations. This is the “trio” of beautiful cities. Drawing lessons from the conflicts with the nature in the past civilizations, the ecological civilization is the only way to achieve the human-nature harmony.

Keywords

Beautiful City Construction / Deep Beauty / Natural Process / Green Lifestyle / Ecological Resilience / Urban Quality / Sustainable Development

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2020 Higher Education Press