Landscape-Planning-and-Design-of-Urban-Waterfront.doc

Lndscape Planning and Design of Urban Waterfront Green SpacesAbstract Definition of urban waterfront green spaces is given, its design principles are summarized as :human-centered, ecology -first , integrated nature and humanity , highlighting regional characteristics , unified planning and overall coordination. Design of ecological plant community , design of traffic network and revetment management is analyzed to explore design contents and techniques of urban waterfront green spaces. In terms of thedesign of ecological plant community , the selection of landscape plants and landscaping of waterf ront green spaces are analyzed;traf fic network is further classified into water traffic , waterf ront pathway , and driveway system;waterfront revetment management is specifically discussed from the original natural revetment , natural revetment reinforced by natural designs , and natural revetment reinforced by artificial designs. Problems in the modern urban waterfront green spaces are proposed , such as contradictions between diversified functions and simple designs , lack of regional char-acteristics , viewers are kept away from water;countermeasures are also given in the hope of pushing urban waterfront green spaces in a healthy development road, so as to improve the overall landscape quality of urban waterfront green spaces.Key wordsWaterfront landscapes , Waterfront , Green spaces , Landscape planning As a great source of life , water is an indispensable conditionfor the survival of human beings. People cannot live without water , so many cities are built by mountains and water to satisfy its citizens love for water , and waterfront areas of these cities always have the most beautiful and distinctive landscapes. Urban waterfront green spaces are essential components of urban waterfront areas , playing the role of beautifying waterfront areas and satisfying needs of water -loving citizens. Such green spaces always have zonal waters as the center , and value landscape effects and greening features of banks , they are important resources for the construction of urban waterfront areas , because they can provide excellent landscapes for urban landscaping , work as ideal eco-corridors and also high -grade green lines of cities. Along with the development of Chinese cities , urban waterfront green spaces have drawn more and more attention from the public , and how to properly design urban waterfront green spaces has become an urgent task of urban construction. This study , by introducing definition, design principles , contents and techniques of urban waterfront green spaces , summarizes problems in the landscape planning of urban waterfront green spaces , and proposes some countermeasures to facilitate the future construction of urban waterfront green spaces.1Definition of urban waterfront green spaces Urban waterfront green spaces are eco -green corridors with both ecological and beautification effects , containing water and land, rich landscapes and eco -information. Urban waterfront green spaces are mostly distributed along rivers , lakes and sea as green scenic lines of cities. The following 3 concontents are included :A. As a part of urban public green spaces , it is given the properties and characteristics of urban public green spaces ;B. As a part of urban waterfront areas , it is a joint water area of urban land (mainly green spaces )and water (lake , river and etc. );C. As a part of urban public spaces , it is influenced by many factors of cities , and has to carry out its urban functions , reflect problems of cities , show images of cities and hold up activities of citizens.2 Landscape design principles of urban waterfront green spaces2. 1 Human -centered , ecology -first One of the most important functions of waterfront green spaces is to provide citi -zens a favorable waterfront platform for enhancing communi -cations among people , so its design should put users needsfirst. If there are residential areas in the neighborhood , facili -ties for children and seniors should be installed ;if there are in -dustrial areas nearby , places for the gathering of people will not be necessary. Meanwhile , urban waterfront green spaces play also the role of beautifying the environment , reducing noi -ses , and creating favorable urban ecological spaces. As Chi -nese cities grow better and better , ecology has attracted more and more attention from the public. Because urban waterfront green spaces are located on the fringes of land and water, they are characterized by biodiversity , landscape ecology prin -ciples should be followed in its design , with plant landscaping as the principal part , to create natural waterfront landscapes. Meanwhile , human interventions or damages should be re-duced to the least to maintain ecological balance , highlight harmonious coexistence of human and nature, then the de-signed waterfront landscapes will be able to protect environ-ment , and also satisfy users demands in landscape andFunction.2. 2 Integrated nature and humanity , highlighting regionalcharacteristics The unification of nature and humanity focuses on the integration of natural environment and humanistic environment in the design of urban waterfront green spaces. Urban waterfront green spaces seem places for entertainment and rest , but features of the city s history and culture should be fully explored for the design , then expressed by landscape design techniques to show the profound history and culture of the city , highlight its landscape characteristics, and maintain the continuity of its history context. Taking Liaocheng City for an example , Guangyue Mansion built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 )is located in its downtown areas , Beijing - Hangzhou Canal which is one of the two engineering wonders of ancient China passes the city , and there are also many famous scenic areas like Dongchang Lake , Haiyuan Pavilion , Guild Hall of Shanxi and Shaanxi , so Liaocheng City always focuses its development target of Water City by North of the Yangtze River , Ancient Capital of the Ancient Canal , which fully considers characteristics of local history and culture. In addition , the harmony between design contents and neighboring environment should also be valued to highlight distinctive features of the city.2.3 Unified planning and overall coordination Urban waterfront green spaces should be regarded as a part of the urban planning , but not an independent unit , just like the ancient Chinese strategist says , the one good at playing game focuses on the overall situation , but the one not good at it cares about only single moves , so the landscape design of urban waterfront green spaces should also take its impact on urban development into consideration. Therefore , urban waterfront green spaces should be planned in an all -around way as a whole sys - tem fromthe perspective of region. Meanwhile , based on satis -fying its basic use functions , other functions of urban waterfront green spaces in ecology , landscape and flood-prevention should also be considered to construct urban public spaces with multiple functions. That is to say , landscape planning of urban waterfront green spaces should have a systematic planning pattern just like construction engineering , and fully consider diversified demands of the city , because one -sided planning will be unfair and cause unnecessary loss.3 Design contents and techniquesLandscape planning of urban waterfront green spaces includes the design and treatment of fundamental elements within green spaces such as compound plant communities , road pavement system and revetment.3. 1 Design of ecological plant communities Ecological and landscape functions of urban waterfront green spaces are realized by plants , so plant landscaping should be a principal part in the design of waterfront plant communities , landscape ecology followed to simulate structures of natural eco -communities , use indigenous species , give consideration to the diversity of plant communities , choose right species for right land , and maintain the balance of waterfront ecosystems.3. 2 Design of traffic network Traffic network is the land - scape framework of urban waterfront green spaces , and also an important channel connecting land and water. Therefore , the design of its traffic network should be combined with actual conditions of the water system to create a human -centered road system, and form continuous green belts by expanding riverfront green spaces as much as possible. Road traffic and water traffic should be organically combined, the phenomenon of expanding roads narrowing rivers avoided , the connection between water and neighboring green spaces , landscape settings and service fa-cilities enhanced , so citizens can approach water as closely as possible, and their water -loving needs be satisfied.3. 3 Revetment design of urban waterfront green spaces Revetment is the borderline between land and water , and for water , it is also the front edge of land. An excellent revetment design can not only create favorable waterfront green spaces and landscapes , attract tourists , but also protect eco -environment of waterfront green spaces , in this sense , revetment design determines the attractiveness of waterfront green spaces. In China , there are 3 types of mostly -applied revetments :vertical , slope and staged ;while deficiencies of traditional revet - ment designs have been gradually demonstrated , eco -environment has attracted more and more attention from the public ,ecological revetment has become a focus in the ecological planning of waterfront green spaces. Ecological revetment mainly includes original natural revetment , natural revetment reinforced by natural designs , and natural revetment reinforced by artificial designs.4 Problems and countermeasuresUrban waterfront areas are favorable recreational and en - tertainment sectors for citizens due to their fresh air ,excellentventilation and beautiful scenery. Along with the development of cities in China , urban waterfront green spaces have graduallybecome a focus of attention , but there are still serious problems to be settled , therefore , actual conditions of these green spaces should be taken into consideration to settle these problems and push urban waterfront green spaces of China into a better development road. In China , urban waterfront green spaces are mainly faced with the following problems.4. 1 Diversified functions and simple designs Urban wa - terfront areas are major sites for citizens recreational activities ,so they have to satisfy multiple functional demands , such as childrens playground , boat dock , sightseeing stand, public exer - cise area and so on. Therefore , activities of neighboring resi - dents should be fully investigated to properly design spaces of different functions by using different pants. Urban waterfront green spaces are located in complicated spatial systems combi - ning spots (key buildings , environmental settings ), lines (con - tinuous avenues ) and surfaces (such as central plazas , amusement parks and so on ), but traditional design concepts are out -of -date , multiple functions of green spaces are not fully understood , so only unitary functions and landscape effects of green spaces are stressed , but not their ecological , cultural and economic effects. In the future planning and design of ur - ban waterfront green spaces , the relationship between multiple functions and simple designs should be properly handled by fully utilizing local conditions.4. 2 Lack of regional characteristics Without fully under - standing history and culture of the location city , design of urban waterfront green spaces is always fixed without any innovation , for example , large-size constructed lawns and roadside trees along rivers . As a result , waterfront green spaces in all cities seem alike without distinctive regional characteristics , and sometimes , the introduction of too many alien tree species may impose serious threats to the whole waterfront ecosys - tem. Therefore , history and cultural background of the city should be fully explored to design urban waterfront green spaces , and basic conditions investigated to show regional characteristics.4. 3 Viewers are kept away from water Water is the source of life , and it is the human nature to love water , but waterfront areas of many cities are always threatened by tide and flood , so flood-protection facilities are always built for flood control and discharge and water traffic , which keep viewers away from water. In fact , such a pr