The Evolution of the Urban Form of Macau Island

Abstract：The history of the urban development of Macau Island was influenced by both its complicated physical environment and the various urban planning concepts from different time, which creates a collaged urban form. With the urban growth is the movement of the urban center in Macau Island. The old center had been transformed both in form and function while the new centers were shaped. This paper analyzes the character of the morphological evolution by the means of space syntax. By comparing the structural transformation of various historical periods since early 19th century, it reveals the relationship between the changing spatial structure and the movement of the urban center in Macau, discusses the influence from the spatial relation of the urban locality and integrality to the booming and falling as well as the functional transition of the historic centers