整体观的人居环境

几天前参加博士研究生学位论文预答辩会，在总共12篇博士论文中，有5篇的研究与城市生态系统服务有关，题目或是“基于生态系统服务的某城市绿化隔离带优化研究”，或是“以生态系统服务为导向的某城市中心城区绿地空间优化研究”等。之所以有如此高比例的研究生选择这类题目，除了与导师的研究课题有关外，另外一个重要原因或许在于生态系统服务可以用科学的方法进行研究，做到量化评价，如此，论文中的一系列计算公式和数据表格就增强了论文的研究分量，并使得论文的结论更具有依据和说服力。

通过对某一城市或城市的某一区域生态系统服务现状进行研究，这些论文普遍得出了城市生态系统不够健全、绿地在城市中的面积占比严重不足、结构也不合理的结论。我赞成这些研究方法，也同意得出的研究结论，但对于只是以依据提高生态系统服务能力为目的增加绿地面积，构建绿地结构的途径却有不小的质疑，如在城市外围寻求利用各种土地，包括一些农田，来增加绿化隔离带面积，这或许提升了城市生态系统服务的能力，但势必减弱区域景观的多样性，甚至剪断区域景观历史延续的脉络；在城市中心区按照计算出来的基本的绿地指标来增加绿地面积，又极有可能使得城市失去原有的建筑密度，从而降低城市的活力和积淀已久的历史文化魅力；而以增强生态系统服务能力为导向来改造城市绿地，也有可能割裂人与自然之间的密切联系，削弱城市绿地的使用功能。

对类似于“基于……的……研究”或是“以……为导向的……研究”为题的学术论文，和“基于……的……设计”或是“在……导向下的……设计”为目标的设计实践我都会产生质疑，原因在于每块土地存在的问题都是复杂多样的，土地都承载着社会、经济、生态、历史、文化、艺术等综合的价值。诚然，只有对土地的每一个层面进行深入分析和研究，才能提出合理的土地规划和利用的有效方案与对策。但是，面对如此复杂综合的问题，仅仅基于一点或以某一方面为导向来做出决策，这种机械简单的处理方式，必然是只见树木不见森林，必然忽视了研究或设计对象的有机性、复杂性和各部分之间的关联性，以这样的研究方法得出的结论都是值得警惕的。

中国有着历史悠久的人居传统，其人居环境营造思想的核心就是环境的整体观。千百年来，中国人依据所处的地理环境和气候条件，通过改变地表和改造水文来发展农业，建造家园，积淀了独特的人居环境营造思想。历史上中国的人工建造都遵循依赖于自然，从整体环境出发，用综合的手段构建起支撑农业生产、交通运输、村落城邑及安全防务的环境支撑系统，并将环境的每一部分都紧密联系起来，而非基于一点或专注于一面，从而营建出整体的人居环境。小到城市中一座人造园林，其中的山石、水面、植物和建筑都互相交融，不可分割；大到一座城市，从选址，到规划，到建设，再到发展，人工的建造都与自然环境融合，因势利导。城市中的各部分都承载着多重的功能，并组织成一个整体。比如城市中的自然系统既提供了生态系统的服务，也承载着民众的户外生活，同时又是城市中的风景；再广到整个国土，中国人通过建造和梳理各类水利设施，将山峦、河流、渠道、湖泊、农田、村落、城镇整合起来，构筑了国土相互依存不可分割的整体结构。中国人在这种整体性和环境依托性的基础上实践着人居的理想。本期《风景园林》就是在“传统人居环境营造思想与技术传承”的主题下探讨中国传统的人居智慧。

近几年《风景园林》有多期的主题涉及到中国的人居环境、国土景观、人文自然系统和山水城市等内容，这反映出《风景园林》杂志已从创刊时的借鉴他人的经验转变到更多地关注和研究中国独特的自然和文化体系及本土的建造传统，关注于中国特有的营建经验和智慧，以及中国的传统人居思想在当今环境营建中的价值与意义。

自2005年《风景园林》杂志创刊以来，我一直担任杂志的主编，期间经历过困难时期带来的沮丧，但庆幸的是，杂志在不断成长，由最初的双月刊成为月刊，成为建筑学、城乡规划学、风景园林学学科评估的目录杂志，成为中国科技核心期刊，我感受更多的还是杂志不断发展所带来的欣慰。从下一期开始，我就卸任《风景园林》的主编了，很感谢曾经的这份工作，它促使我15年来不断阅读、思考和进步。感谢顾问编委、编委和特约编辑们的支持，感谢杂志社全体同仁的辛勤耕耘，感谢我的同事们及历届学生们的无私奉献，感谢所有作者、读者和朋友们的一路相伴。

主编：王向荣教授

2020年1月15日

Human Settlement Environment under the Holistic View

A few days ago, I participated in the pre-defense meeting for doctoral dissertations. Among a total of 12 doctoral dissertations, 5 were related to urban ecosystem services, with titles of “Research on the Optimization of Urban Greening Belts of a City Based on Ecosystem Services”, or “Ecosystem Service-oriented Research on the Optimization of Green Space in the Central Urban Area of a City” and so on. The reason why such a high proportion of graduate students choose relative topics, in addition to being related to the tutor’s research topic, another important reason may be that ecosystem services can be studied by scientific methods to achieve quantitative evaluation, so, a series of calculation formulas and data tables in the paper enhance the research value of the paper, and make the conclusions of the paper more reliable and persuasive.

Through the research on the current situation of ecosystem services in a city or a certain region of a city, these papers generally draw the conclusion that the urban ecosystem is not sound enough, the area proportion of green space in the city is seriously insufficient, and the structure is unreasonable. I agree with these research methods and the research conclusions, but I have some doubts about the way to increase the green space area and construct the green space structure only for the purpose of improving the ecosystem service capacity. For example, in the periphery of the city, using all kinds of land to increase the area of green belt, like farmland, which may enhance the ability of urban ecosystem services, but it is bound to weaken the diversity of regional landscape, even break the continuation of regional landscape history; In the central area of the city, increasing the green space area according to the calculated basic green space index is very likely to make the city lose the original building density, thus reducing the vitality and the historical and cultural charm of the city that has been accumulated through time; In order to enhance the ability of ecosystem services to transform urban green space, it is also possible to weaken the close relationship between human and nature and weaken the use of urban green space.

I will question the academic papers like “research based on…of…” or “…oriented research”, and the design practice with the goal of “design based on…of…” or “…oriented design”. The reason is that the problems existing in each piece of land are complex and diverse, and the land bears the comprehensive values of society, economy, ecology, history, culture, art and so on. Yet, only through in-depth analysis and research on every level of land, can we put forward reasonable and effective plans and countermeasures for land planning and use. However, in the face of so complex and comprehensive problems, making decisions only based on one point or guided by a certain aspect is a mechanical and simple way, which cannot see the overall context. It will ignore the complexity and the relationship between various parts of the research object or design object. And the conclusions drawn by such a research method are all worthy of vigilance.

China has a long history of human settlements, and the core of its ideology of creating human settlements is the holistic view of the environment. For thousands of years, according to the geographical environment and climatic conditions, the Chinese has developed agriculture and built homes by transforming the earth’s surface and hydrology process, and accumulated unique ideology of creating living environment. In history, China’s artificial construction depends on nature, starting from the overall environment, using comprehensive means to build an environmental support system for agricultural production, transportation and security defense of villages and cities. Each part of the environment is closely linked, rather than based on one point or focusing on one side, so as to build an overall living environment. Small like a garden in the city, in which the rocks, water, plants and buildings are all integrated and inseparable. Big like a city, from site selection, to planning, construction, then to development, artificial constructions are integrated with the natural environment and guided according to the circumstances.

All parts of the city carry multiple functions and are organized as a whole. For example, the natural system in the city not only provides ecosystem services, but also carries the outdoor life of people, and the scenery in the city. When it comes to the whole country, Chinese built and organized all kinds of water conservancy facilities, integrated the surrounding mountains, rivers, channels, lakes, farmland, villages and towns, and constructed the overall structure of the interdependent and inseparable land. Chinese people have been practicing the ideal of human settlements on the basis of this integrity and environmental dependence. This issue ofLandscape ArchitectureJournal is to explore the wisdom of traditional Chinese human settlements under the theme of “Design Ideology and Technology Sustainability of Local Human Built Environment”.

In recent years, the themes ofLandscape ArchitectureJournal have been related to China’s landscape, living environment, human and natural system, landscape city, and so on. This reflects thatLandscape ArchitectureJournal has moving forward from learning the experience from others when it was first published to paying more attention to and studying China’s unique natural and cultural system and local construction tradition, focusing on China’s unique experience and wisdom, along with the value and significance of traditional human settlement ideology of China in today’s environment construction.

Since the founding ofLandscape ArchitectureJournal in 2005, I have been the chief editor of the journal. I have experienced the frustration brought about in difficult times, but fortunately,Landscape ArchitectureJournal has continued to grow from the initial bimonthly journal to a monthly journal, to a catalogue journal for discipline evaluation of architecture, urban and rural planning, landscape architecture, and a journal of CSTPCD. I feel more gratified by the continuous development of the journal. From the next issue, I will no longer be the chief editor ofLandscape ArchitectureJournal. I am very grateful to this job, which has prompted me to read, think and make progress over the past 15 years. I would like to express my deep gratitude to the advisory editors, editorial board and contributing editors for their support, to all the staffs of the journal for their hard work, to my colleagues and students for their selfless contribution, and to all authors, readers and friends for their accompany on every step of the way.