Quantitative Evaluation of Urban Style at Street Level: A Case Study of Hengyang County, China

Urban style is the comprehensive expression of the material environment, the associated cultural connotation and social life. Under the influence of globalization and rapid urban expansion, many cities around the world show a global convergence in style, which poses a challenge in terms of satisfying both function and local identity. However, the current insufficiency of research on the quantitative evaluation of urban style makes it hard to have a full grasp on how urban style can instruct land use and landscape planning strategies. In this paper, we propose Suitability, Aesthetics and Vitality as three core dimensions of urban style, and construct a quantitative evaluation framework for urban style evaluation at the street level. Taking a street in Hengyang County, China as an example, the method’s operability is demonstrated, and the results show that urban style performance is closely related to building construction periods, trends of urban expansion, and the natural environment. Improvement strategies include harmonizing urban spatial form, increasing the diversity of land use, and moderately improving the quality of building facades. This method can be applied at a greater scale to effectively reflect local characteristics and relevant problems. It can also provide an objective basis for future planning and construction.