Page 54 - JCAU-5-4

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Learning from the countryside

The seawall system directly shapes the settlement’s expanded toward the canals. The key difference between
morphology, spatial layout, and the framework for plot Type I and Type II lies in the presence of two main axes
division: different villages are linearly distributed along the in Type II. In addition to the seawall river, the canal also
seawall rivers (Tang), and the long and narrow village plots serves as the main axis to form a cross-shaped axis. Type III
within each village are distributed along the canals (Pu). is distributed along the northernmost side, following the
This morphological system contrasts with common block canal, and does not conform to a pattern along the seawall
cities (such as the defense cities in the Cixi area during river.
the Ming Dynasty). The settlements resemble combs, with The distribution of these five settlement types is also
seawall rivers (Tang) forming the backbone, extending related to the expansion order of the coastline: Type IV
along the canals (Pu), as depicted in Figure 16.
and Type V areas are furthest from the current coastline
The standard Skinner’s Model, explained in the previous and have been less affected by the construction of seawalls.
sections, serves as the framework. Through a comparative Type I and Type II areas are distributed in the main seawall
analysis of the relationship between the seawall framework area. Type III areas are closest to the coastline, and they are
and the settlement structure in 2020, the settlement of the most recent origin.
forms in the Cixi area can be categorized into five types When considering the typology of the textures,
(Figure 17, left panel). Type I, Type II, and Type III have
corresponding relationships with the seawall framework. particularly the relationship between settlement form and
However, Type IV lacks a clearly defined morphological the building type, this relationship becomes apparent at
relationship due to its scattered distribution and small the level of texture (Figure 17, right panel).
scale. Type V, on the other hand, has evolved from the Based on the framework (comprising rivers and roads)
defense stations established during the Ming Dynasty. and the filled areas (buildings) within this framework,
Among these settlement types, Type I and Type II are the the coordinate axis diagram depicted in Figure 17 is
most common in Cixi and directly exemplify the influence constructed. The abscissa axis in Type IV (Figure 17, left
of the seawall system on settlement morphology. These panel) indicates whether the built environment presented
settlements are distributed along the seawall river sand and in the texture leans more toward a rural or urban character.

Figure 17. Morphological types of the settlement. Source: Compilation by Chen & Chu, 2021

Volume 5 Issue 4 (2023) 15 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0981