Urban morphological processes in China: a Conzenian approach

The method of plan analysis developed by M. R. G. Conzen is employed in part of the core of Guangzhou, China. Though the main concern is with the urban ground plan, links are made to two other interdependent components of the townscape or urban landscape: building fabric and land use. Physical changes in the townscape are divided into morphological stages between feudal times and the present day. The geographical structure of the built-up area is explained in terms of morphogenetic types of plan units that express key facets of economic and social processes. Analysis of the processes underlying the development of a specific small area contributes to a wider body of knowledge of Chinese urban form. This perspective is distinct from that developed by historians and architects investigating Chinese urban form.