- Analysis of The Spatial Characteristics of Commercial Streets in China's Southern Cities: A Case of Three Commercial Streets in SuZhou   812 kb by    Wei, Gang & Jiang, Zhaohui | weigang84@gmail.com    Short Outline Characteristic commercial streets are an important way to physically display the characteristics of cities. Based on a factual investigation on three characteristic commercial streets in SuZhou, this paper analyzes the space attributes and positive effects of the characteristic commercial streets, and aims to provide recommendations on building characteristic urban spaces. Abstract In the context of economic globalization and rapid urbanization, city characteristics have increasingly become a prominent problem, especially inChina. On one hand, accompanied by economic expansion, regional culture is faced with strong culture invasion and digestion. On the other hand, in the process of rapid city-growth and updating, the pattern of urban history and the traditional neighborhoods are severely damaged. There is no uniqueness, only similar cityscape .These problems have brought on the significance and urgency to study Chinese cities' characters. Such a situation was discussed by Zhao Shixiu（1998）and Wu Liangyong(2005) in order to strengthen the protection of city characteristics. In this article，we focus on the urban characteristic space. It represents the spirit and temperament of the city, which is of the human and cultural quality and materialized space with distinct geographical features in the developing process of a city.Urban characteristic space is a public place to experience the city's characteristics and perceive its spirits, as a window and an introduction book of a city. The characteristic commercial street, which is a type of urban characteristic space, is the city's most beautiful living room,the city's business card.It is an important way to display the characteristics of cities. Built in 514 BC, located in the center of Yangtze Delta,Suzhouis an ancient city with 2500 years of history. The unique characteristics of the past are still retained in present-daySuzhou. It is renowned for the classic gardens, canals, silks, lakes, operas, legends and museums.The city’s fantastic features and classic lifestyle is unmatched in China. Based on a factual investigation on threecharacteristic commercial streets in SuZhou——Ping Jiang Road, Shan Tang Street and Li Gong Di, this paper analyzes four major space attributes of the characteristic commercial streets: publicity, difference, reflection, and artistry.It then demonstrates the positive effects of the characteristic commercial streets in the following ways: improving and perfecting the urban function, highlighting local characteristics, inheriting and renewing city history, boosting city economy, carrying forward the culture and building up a positive city image. In the end, the paper points out relevant hints on building characteristic urban space from the planning, construction and management experience of the three streets Keywords Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2013: Frontiers of Planning - Evolving and declining models of city planning practice   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper