Comparative Study of Urban Forms on Macro Scale

On the macro scale, the quantitative representation and analysis of the urban form is an important part of the study of urban morphology. This paper introduces the concept of the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) which is a basic classification framework that describes the characteristics of urban underlying surface. This study uses WUDAPT method to generate LCZ maps. Through comparative analysis of LCZ maps of three Chinese cities with distinctive urban morphological feature, the quantitative representation and analysis of urban morphology on the macro scale could be completed. From the spatial distribution and numerical statistics of LCZ the cites' maps, the research indicates: The high-density and high-rise LCZ are main LCZ of Shanghai and Nanjing; Hefei has the highest industrial type LCZ10; in contrast, the cities' greening LCZ are consistent. And it can be seen from the comparison of IODs, three cities' LCZ spatial distribution are different. To summary, the establishment of the Local Climate Zone model for the city is feasible and effective for the quantitative representation and analysis of the urban morphology on the macro scale.