Space Gene

Based on typo-morphological studies, this paper proposes the concept of space gene from the perspective of urban spatial development theory. Specifically, space gene refers to a unique and relatively stable pattern of spatial organization formed as a result of long-term interaction among the three dimensions: urban space, natural environment, and socio-culture. It conveys distinctive characteristics of different regions and contributes to a unique city identity and a harmonious relationship among the three dimensions. This paper points out that urban planning and design can be localized through the identification-analysis-guidance process of space genes, avoiding both the design scheme that does not respect culture and nature and the practice that a unified model is adopted to create same images in different cities, as well as prompting the directional turn of urban planning and design approaches from space form creation to space gene analysis. It provides an effective design path for a win-win result among urban development, natural protection, and cultural inheritance. Furthermore, the paper discusses the prospect of the Space GenBank Project.