This pioneering book establishes the theoretical framework of Terrapoetic Urbanism, integrating human geography, urban planning, and landscape architecture to decode the co-evolutionary mechanisms of traditional Chinese "mountain-water-city" systems. Through case studies on hydraulic engineering, urban design, and landscape cultivation, it introduces the innovative Spatiotemporal Overlay Mapping Method, combining 30+ hand-drawn reconstructions with GIS models to unveil the Jiangnan regions wisdom in achieving "human-nature coordination." The book proposes two groundbreaking toolsthe Resilience Assessment Matrix for Regional Landscape Systems and Adaptive Transformation Pathways for Traditional Techniquesproviding actionable strategies for ecological urban design and cultural heritage conservation. By reinterpreting 200+ historical interventions into modern practices, it bridges ancient wisdom with contemporary spatial planning. A vital interdisciplinary guide for urban planners, landscape architects, and heritage researchers, this book redefines sustainable urbanization through Chinas terrapoetic legacy, offering both theoretical rigor and practical methodologies.
Definitions.- Methodology.- Cities in History.- Cognition and
Inheritance.- Figure-Ground Relationship Between "Terrapoetic" and "Urban".-
Process Theory of Terrapoetic Urbanism.- Regional Scale: Lake-City
SymbiosisEvolution of Three Major Lakescapes and Urban Development in the
Lower Qiantang River Basin.- Urban Scale: Mountain-Water-City
IntegrationShallow Mountain-Water Networks in Western Suzhou and the
Development of the Ancient City.- Urban Scale: Regional Landscape Systems and
Zoned ConstructionYangzhou City on Shugang and Water Networks.- Subregional
Scale: Regional Landscape Systems and Zoned ConstructionNine Hills and
Five Waters and the Ancient City of Shaoxing.- Subregional Scale: River
Corridors and Subregional DevelopmentLandscape Evolution Along Nanjings
Qinhuai River.- Subregional Scale: Landscape Transformation in Urban Port
Areas Under the Influence of the Grand Canal.- Watershed Scale: Regional
Landscapes and Development in the Fuchun River Basin.
Prof. Zheng Xi is the dean of the School of Landscape Architecture at Beijing Forestry University, Ph.D. supervisor, and a former visiting scholar at Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD). He serves as the official delegate of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture to the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), editor-in-chief of Landscape Architecture, and editor-in-chief of Landscape Architecture and Sustainability. His research focuses on urban-rural ecological planning, terrapoetic and eco-city development, and digital-intelligent landscape evaluation and design. Prof. Zheng has led or participated in 13 national research projects, holds 11 authorized invention patents, and has published over 30 high-impact papers. His authored works include Terrapoetic Urbanism: Cities on Regional Landscape Systems and two other monographs. Recognized for his contributions, he has received more than 20 prestigious domestic and international awards in research and design.
