The Nature of the City

From Wiki China org cn
"The nature of the city" was coined by Qi Jihua, a professor at Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology

The nature of the city (城市的自然属性), which says that a city should be built in harmony with its natural conditions and surroundings, was coined by Qi Jiahua, a professor at Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology.

According to Qi, Chinese cities now possess three major characteristics. First, buildings are randomly built. Second, cities look like concrete jungles. The layouts are far from being coordinated with their natural surroundings. Third, modern buildings in China bear few traces of the traditional Chinese architecture.

Qi said the buildings in big Chinese cities are now against the ancient principle that encourages the use of materials that are in coordination with nature and to build houses that stand appropriately with their surroundings.

Qi also suggested that China should not follow the steps of the industrialized countries that have caused heavy pollutions in their cities and then started to worry about environmental protection.

According to him, Beijing and Chengde, 200 kilometers away from Beijing in the Hebei Province, are two perfect examples. When Beijing started suffering from a heavy smog in recent years, Chengde was still embracing the sunshine penetrating from the serene sky.

Qi suggested that cities should carefully plan and build within their capacities. Vegetation plays an essential part in bringing the cities back to nature, he added.