Research On Transformation Pattern Of Ancient Canal Towns Based On Spatial Integration

Many ancient towns have had their golden ages. However, as time goes by, most of them are facing changes of urban functions and people's higher requirements for better lives, thus leading to an internal disorder of urban structure. Currently, facing the recession, ancient towns after their heyday are bound to rise to meet the new challenges with the relocation of urban function and spatial integration.Ancient towns along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal are facing crucial opportunities of the Grand Canal applying for UNESCO world heritage and the South-to-North water diversion project; the towns also have many social responsibilities to take. This paper tries to find out the spatial design and combination which can achieve such comprehensive goals of urban development.Xiazhen Village, known as one of the four famous canal towns, is chosen as the research case. The research begins with the study of different strategies of the application for planning purposes, and then goes with the implementation pattern of sub-objectives, and finally adds the combination and adjustment of space as the research method.On the basis of the research of Weishan County master planning, local canal scenes and cultural landscape both in history and present and living environment of the residents, this paper sorts out three plan goals: "culture revival", "improving people's livelihood" and "economy development". And to achieve the goals, strategic mode is put forward, which is composed of interface integration mode of canal scenes, spatial cluster mode of community satisfying both commercial and residential purposes, texture reconstruction mode based on local environment, superposition mode of cultural landscape and vitality point mode leading regional development.After the exploration of different strategies in different modes, by planning and designing of specific nodes, the rationality of the superposition and combination is expounded. This paper also discusses about the approach and design methods of the landscape elements, which ensure the diversity of spatial form while trying to complete its integration process.