A fractal dimension study of road networks in the ancient city of Xi'an
Received date: 2015-11-17
Request revised date: 2016-01-05
Online published: 2016-03-20
Copyright
The human-scale based road networks in ancient city finally have developed extraordinary fractal structure through lengthy historical evolution. Under the background that vehicle transportation rather than walking has been the oriented principle of road design, this paper holds out for the perspective that road networks with fractal connections in ancient city should focus more on humanized travel eagerly. The method of fractal geometry is chosen to reveal and study the characteristics and evolution of the road networks in the ancient city of Xi'an, which is taken as the typical research object in this paper. The fractal dimension values of the road networks in the ancient city of Xi'an in 1735 A.D., 1893 A.D., 1949 A.D. and 2014 A.D. are calculated via Hausdorff Fractal Dimension, Length-Radius Fractal Dimension and Dendrite-Radius Dimension methods. The detailed calculation is as follows: the Hausdorff Fractal Dimension value is 1.6412 in 1735 A.D., 1.6489 in 1893 A.D., 1.5913 in 1949 A.D. and 1.5744 in 2014 A.D.; the Length-Radius Dimension value is 1.7723 in 1735 A.D., 1.8147 in 1893 A.D., 1.8663 in 1949 A.D. and 1.9544 in 2014 A.D.; the Dendrite-Radius Dimension value is 1.6673 in 1735 A.D., 1.7024 in 1893 A.D., 1.9358 in 1949 A.D. and 1.928 in 2014 A.D. Based on the calculation above, the evolution trends of each three fractal dimensions have been traced out clearly, the road networks' fractal characteristics in different periods have been examined and the underlying mechanisms of fractal evolution have been discussed deeply and precisely. And then, three stages in fractal evolution processes of the road networks in the ancient city of Xi'an have been identified: (1) the road networks are evolving toward a higher level. In this stage, the values of the three fractal dimensions all increase continuously. Therefore, the road networks become increasingly sophisticated and advanced in structure and function; (2) the road networks have evolved into the high-level stage, but they are encountering perturbation. The fractal road networks are advanced and sophisticated in structure and function, but external factors that connected with wars and social instabilities let the road networks suffer from reversed perturbation. And the perturbation have imposed negative influences on the road networks with fractal structure absolutely; (3) the road networks remain in the high-level stage, but partial degeneration should not be neglected. In this stage, all the values of the three fractal dimensions stay in the high-value level, but two of the three fractal dimensions tend to decline. Although the road networks in the ancient city of Xi'an still possess the fractal structure, partial degeneration results from the change in the modes of transportation in the structure and function is obvious and pernicious. Next to the identification of the three stages above, this paper judges that the current system of the road networks in the ancient city of Xi'an makes the fractal structure more advanced and more sophisticated. But more attention is paid to the structural and functional degradation. Otherwise, malignant transmutation will be caused surely to disorder or even destroy the fractal road networks and the whole ancient city of Xi'an. Therefore, paradigmatic humanized city transportation modes of cycling and walking are highly recommended in this paper to preserve the road networks and to facilitate the sustainable development of the entire ancient city of Xi'an.
Key words: ancient city; road networks; human scale; fractal dimension; fractal feature; Xi'an
ZHU Shaoqing , DONG Suocheng , LI Zehong , LI Fujia , YUAN Linna , ZHANG Peipei . A fractal dimension study of road networks in the ancient city of Xi'an[J]. GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, 2016 , 35(3) : 561 -571 . DOI: 10.11821/dlyj201603014
Fig. 1 The road networks in the ancient city of Xi'an in different times图1 不同时期西安古城区域道路网络图 |
Tab. 1 The values of rH and N(rH) in different times表1 不同时期rH及其对应的N(rH)值 |
| rH (m) | N(rH)(个) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 公元1735年(清雍正十三年) | 公元1893年(清光绪十九年) | 公元1949年 | 公元2014年 | |
| 50 | 2775 | 2871 | 2585 | 2539 |
| 100 | 1044 | 1067 | 1017 | 1006 |
| 150 | 525 | 538 | 535 | 538 |
| 200 | 321 | 324 | 323 | 327 |
| 250 | 207 | 214 | 213 | 215 |
| 300 | 148 | 150 | 149 | 150 |
Fig. 2 The ln-ln plot on the values of rH and N(rH) in different times图2 不同时期rH和N(rH)的双对数关系 |
Tab. 2 The values of rL and L(rL) in different times表2 不同时期回转半径rL及L(rL)值对应表 |
| rL (m) | L(rL)(m) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 公元1735年(清雍正十三年) | 公元1893年(清光绪十九年) | 公元1949年 | 公元2014年 | |
| 100 | 605 | 552 | 381 | 200 |
| 200 | 2061 | 1970 | 1319 | 1400 |
| 300 | 4728 | 4711 | 3506 | 3001 |
| , et al., et al. | , et al., et al. | |||
| 2400 | 154062 | 163342 | 139999 | 139434 |
| 2500 | 156227 | 165722 | 141817 | 141521 |
| 2600 | 157449 | 166955 | 143054 | 142809 |
Fig. 3 The ln-ln plot on the values of rL and L(rL) in different times图3 不同时期西安古城区域道路网长度--回转半径双对数坐标图 |
Tab. 3 The values of rB and N(rB) in different times表3 不同时期回转半径rB及N(rB)值对应表 |
| rB (m) | N(rB)(m) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 公元1735年(清雍正十三年) | 公元1893年(清光绪十九年) | 公元1949年 | 公元2014年 | |
| 100 | 16 | 16 | 4 | 4 |
| 200 | 44 | 42 | 20 | 17 |
| 300 | 93 | 92 | 60 | 48 |
| , et al., et al. | , et al., et al. | |||
| 2400 | 2589 | 2741 | 2309 | 2142 |
| 2500 | 2615 | 2772 | 2325 | 2170 |
| 2600 | 2629 | 2786 | 2335 | 2183 |
Fig. 4 The ln-ln plot on the values of rB and N(rB) in different times图4 不同时期西安古城道路网分枝数目--回转半径双对数坐标图 |
Fig. 5 The variation tendency of the three fractal dimensions图5 不同时期分形测算结果及其趋势 |
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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