Comprehensive understandings to the built environment especially the urban form is a prerequisite for building a smart city. This paper is based on computational methods to examine the urban fabric of Hankou, China, as a case study. Quantitative and comparative analyses are involved to understand the characteristics on the block scale, where massive demolition and new construction coincide with the existing historical context. Five urban fabric indicators are defined (i.e., density, compactness, fragmentation, variance, and cohesion) to conduct a case study for the 83 selected blocks using geographic information system tools and statistical analysis. Distribution patterns and correlations between these indicators are analyzed. Comparisons are made between typical blocks with high, median, and low fabric densities using comprehensive fabric indicators. The research results indicate that the organic order of the original urban fabric is facing damage, especially from arbitrary demolition, overinfilling, and spontaneous encroachment. Finally, this paper discusses how retaining the urban fabric makes the city a vibrant place to live. The sustainable development of a city should attach great importance to the protection and continuation of local characteristics of integrity and authenticity. The described analytical methods could contribute to the optimization of urban design strategies for future smart cities.

Title

IEEE Access

Publisher

IEEE

Publisher Country

Germany

Indexing

Thomson Reuters

Impact Factor

1.0

Publication Type

Prtinted only

Volume

4

Year

2016

Pages

9