Traditional Settlement Of The Lancang River Basin Preliminary Study - Village Residential Environment And Architecture Towards Ecologically Sustainable Development

Resource management and environmental concerns are two of the predominant challenges of this new century. In recent years, studies on sustainable development / have impacted almost every field of human endeavour, including architecture. Wise planning and conservation of the Lan Chan river basin is essential to the development of Yunnan. The study of the traditional settlements in this area is essential, if efforts to protect the basin's ecosystem, and to utilize it's resources efficiently, are to be successful. The dynamics of existing development in the rural settlement environment and it's traditional architecture must be given close scrutiny before commencing with further development.After introducing the theories of sustainable development, this thesis analyses the characteristics of basin's resources and environment, the current situation of settlement environment and it's vernacular architecture. It also explores the legacy of valuable local traditions, while also pointing out the shortcomings of these settlements, in terms of their ecological impact. In relation to the basin's resources and environment, the study also makes recommendations of feasible tactics for the ecologically sustainable development of these traditional settlements.