Urban Planning and Spatial Evolution Processes in Taiyuan and Relevant Influencing Factors

Abstract

As a famous historical and cultural city in China, Taiyuan City has a history of more than two thousand years with a rich evolution of its urban space. This paper discusses the influencing factors of urban space by describing the historical background of Taiyuan and the evolution of urban space. The spatial layout of Taiyuan in the Ming Dynasty was based on the idea of the palace as the main planning of the royal city. In the Qing Dynasty, Taiyuan still shared the walls with the Ming Dynasty, and the city's overall framework did not change much. The city was built mainly in traditional politics and military affairs during the Ming and Qing dynasties, with some related facilities and buildings. After the Republic of China, the layout of the city was influenced by Western urban planning ideas, endowing more functions to the internal architecture and establishing many spaces with living, cultural and educational significance. After the founding of New China, Taiyuan became a city of heavy industry focusing on the chemical industry, coal, machinery, and metallurgy.