Research on Evaluation of the Landscape and its Functions in Houtan Park of the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai, China

Abstract

Construction of urban waterscape parks based on ecological concepts and functions is becoming the tendency of modern urban parks. Unfortunately, there are no suitable evaluation systems for these parks. This study establishes a comprehensive evaluation system for a landscape and its functions via the analytic hierarchy process and the comprehensive index method. The evaluation model consisted of 3 evaluation indexes and 23 evaluation indicators relevant to the landscape characteristics of Houtan Park of the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai, China. The evaluation indicators were monitored from 2006 to 2010, and the results of the investigation led to the following conclusions: the park fulfills a range of desirable functions, and ranks high in aesthetic, economic and societal values; ecological functions were applied well within the landscape, and following ecological restoration and the construction of a functional aquatic ecosystem, the water quality of Houtan River has been continuously purified from inferior class V~ class V to class III~ class I range, while the heavy metals in the sediment were improved from inferior class V~ class V to class I; the biodiversity was improved from 0.72 into 1.49; and the results for other indicators were improved overall. In general, the comprehensive score of the evaluation increased from 1.227 to 4.341. Although minor problems remain to be solved, the results indicate that the design concept and construction methods applied in Houtan Park are well applicable to sustainable landscapes, and the evaluation system as a whole can be extended and applied in similar cases.