| Landscape design, as a new profession, has been universally acknowledged in Western societies. For no more than a hundred years, urban landscape has taken on a brand new look, especially the emergence of public spaces created for different purposes and functions. Through the erosive effect of time, they begin to assume new values and significance. On the other hand, a variety of well-functioned modern public spaces have mushroomed to become a new horizon in cities. Public space plays an important role in public city life, and hence falls under modern landscape designing.It is true that, for the recent years, China has witnessed a rapid growth in the landscape of urban public spaces. However a few improper cases, either for subjective or for objective reasons, have inevitably cropped up, characterized by the inadequacy of unique quality. This article points out two conceptions for localizing landscape designing of public spaces—local tradition of garden landscape vs. modern western theories of landscape. The former one, an intricate system, incorporates the quintessence of Chinese culture, with its vigor still persisting now. Its essential thought can be adapted to meet the demands of modern city landscape designing. The latter one, deriving from the tradition of garden landscape, can also apply to modern city landscape designing. It's necessary that we take into account China's status quo, with a rational and discreet attitude, to coordinate various factors on the basis of drawing on the above-mentioned landscape culture.This article aims for one thing at pointing out certain ideas and conceptions concerning modern China's landscape designing of public urban space, and for another, at exploring a legitimate way of public spacelandscape. Hopefull y, the landscape of urban public space wi th Chinese characteristics will be brought to light. |
