Townscape Character Assessment and Interpretation for the Protection of Historic Urban Landscape Values for the Public: Case Studies of Two Historic Areas in Xi’an, China

The rapid urbanisation and globalisation processes in China over the last two decades have changed the historical environment of its urban heritage. In this context, the Chinese authorities have given priority to ‘townscape character’ (Chinese: Fengmao) management to preserve the tangible and intangible aspects of urban heritage sites. Townscape character in the Chinese context includes the comprehensive visual expression of historical and cultural values in urban and rural landscapes. Townscape character is usually assessed, identified and conserved by experts based on conservation plans at multiple scales. However, the study of townscape character and its values should be more diverse and inclusive, in order to grasp the plurality of the heritage site from the perspectives of the people who use it. Over the decades, effective public participation has always been a goal of urban planning in China. There is an urgent need to find appropriate ways to listen to the voices of the public beyond the experts. This research responds to the need for including public’s opinions in urban heritage conservation, by examining the townscape character of two historic areas and the particular values they have for the public.
This thesis focuses on the study of two historic areas, namely the Small Wild Goose Pagoda (SWGP) area and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (GWGP) area, in Xi’an city, China. A qualitatively dominant mixed-methods study was designed to investigate how the townscape character of historic areas in Xi’an is perceived and valued by the public. This mixed-methods research consists of five datasets: the townscape character management related policy documents, interviews with policymakers, social media data on the research sites, a questionnaire survey and a focus group with the visitors. The data are analysed according to four themes: (1) an examination of urban heritage townscape character management in China, including an analysis of how the authorised landscape values are formed, and the theories underpin them; (2) an exploration to identify the valued Historic Urban Landscape elements in the Chinese context; (3) a study of how people perceive and experience townscape; and (4) a discussion of people’s strategies for preserving townscape character in historic areas.
The results of the four themes are presented from Chapter 4 to Chapter 7. The results of this research (1) present the concepts, dilemmas and policymakers’ needs for townscape character management for urban heritage sites, (2) understand the Historic Urban Landscape elements and their values to the visitors in context; (3) reveal the cultural background and contextualise people’s visual experiences in the space; and (4) provide conservation suggestions based on people’s narratives. Based on the overall research findings, this research has led to an inclusive and dynamic understanding of the way people perceive and value townscape character in historic areas in China. This research also has provided recommendations for the townscape character management of historic areas, and recommendations for the communication between experts and the public on urban heritage conservation.