Quantitative research of street interface morphology in urban historic districts: a case study of west street historic district, Quanzhou

Abstract Historical urban districts are imbued with a multitude of elements, including historical heritage, cultural significance, social relationships, and daily activities, making them of significant research value. Through a review of previous literature, it is evident that research on the protection and renewal of historical urban districts has mostly focused on macro-level planning and development. Addressing the lack of spatial morphology quantification research at the meso-level, this paper proposes a method suitable for quantifying interface morphology in historical streets. Using the historical cultural street district of Xijie in Quanzhou, Fujian Province as a case study, this research employs parameters such as Distance-Height Ratio, Interface Density, Build-To-Line Rate, and Near-Line Rate to quantify and summarize the morphology of street interfaces. It then proposes transformation strategies to guide the protection and renewal of streets in the future. The study validates the feasibility of this quantification method and provides valuable insights for the protection and renewal of historical urban districts.