Landscape Sensitivity Assessment of Historic Districts Using a GIS-Based Method: A Case Study of Beishan Street in Hangzhou, China

Abstract

Historic districts may be damaged during urban renewal. Landscape sensitivity can be used as a method to judge the ability of a landscape to resist change. This study proposes an improved method for assessing landscape sensitivity based on a geographic information system (GIS) according to the characteristics of historic districts. Based on a previous method, this study adds POI big data for comprehensive evaluation and uses objective criteria importance through intercriteria correlation (CRITIC) statistics instead of subjective methods to determine the weights. The assessment framework uses ecological, visual, and cultural sensitivity as primary criteria, which are further defined by several sub-criteria. The Beishan Street Historic District in Hangzhou, China, is used as a case study, and the results of the assessment are shown in the form of sensitivity maps. The results show that the maps can identify buildings in areas of high sensitivity and provide objective indicators for future conservation. Based on the sensitivity maps, this study innovatively used correlation analysis to reveal important interrelationships between ecological, visual, and cultural sensitivity. Assessment factors such as land use type need to be prioritized because they are more closely linked to other factors.