Generation Mechanism and Expression Path of Spatial Genes in Oasis-Type Cities:A Case Study based on Shazhou Urban Area in Dunhuang City

PANG Kaituo; TANG Xianglong

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2025.04.009

Abstract：With the acceleration of China's urbanisation process,urban construction and preservation have increasingly diverged from their specific environmental contexts and societal needs,resulting in significant negative effects,including urban homogenisation and the fragmentation of cultural heritage.As an abstract representation of the regional characteristics of a city,spatial genes are key factors that influence urban form and layout.Similar to biological genes,spatial genes come down in a single continuous line.In this study,an urban spatial gene composition and analysis framework was built based on the Shazhou urban area of Dunhuang City.In combination with historical records,relevant literature and field surveys,this study analyzed key factors that control urban features systematically.According to the principle that"spatial genes come down in one continuous line",six types of spatial genes were identified in the urban area of Shazhou at the macroscopic,mesoscopic,and microscopic scales.These spatial genes include the ecological background gene of"desert oasis,sand-water-city-field symbiosis";the landscape pattern gene of"mountains encircling the city and water";urban pattern genes of"ditch irrigation and settlement symbiosis","cross layout and windmill expansion",and"criss-cross vertical grid";and the architectural feature genes of"flat roof,yellow walls,rammed earth,red bricks,small windows and inner courtyards".The spatial combination patterns and their formation mechanisms were analyzed,and the generation mechanism and influencing factors were analyzed.The expressions and continuity pathways of spatial genes in oasis cities were explored preliminarily.The results of this study show that the spatial genes of Shazhou urban area in Dunhuang City are deeply rooted in unique natural geographical environments,the government-led ritual system of city planning,as well as comprehension and use of historical builders to understand natural environmental characteristics and laws.These six spatial genes,established during the Western Han Dynasty,have been continuously refined to meet evolving urban development needs.Among them,the ecological background gene,settlement layout gene,and architectural style gene are unique spatial genes of Dunhuang,while the landscape pattern gene and the urban pattern genes related to axes and roads are common across many cities in Chinese history.The core features of oasis-type urban spatial genes represented by Dunhuang are adaptable to natural geographical conditions and ecological priority.Most main urban areas form axial-belt structures along traffic arteries or rivers.Although there is limited spatial expansion,the cultural heritage has strong continuity.These cities have a compact internal spatial layout,with perfect irrigation systems and water conservancy facilities in urban and peripheral regions.A basic pattern of"water-city-field"is formed through agricultural development based on water resources and urban development based on water resources.The spatial layout has the highest stability and most distinctive features in the region.The findings of this study can help restore the ecological gene chain of"water-green-city"in cities,and provide spatial characteristic support for adaptive disaster design,thus facilitating spatial planning logistics-shifting from"design space"to"cultivation space".In the future,the planning of oasis cities should further balance the tradeoff between ecological protection and development based on a full understanding of spatial genes.Through multi-scale analysis,dynamic genetic mapping and the gene resilience evaluation model,it can recognize and inherit these features,build sustainable spatial gene optimization paths,inherit and develop construction wisdom,and create"local"characteristics of a region.