ABSTRACT
Xi’an is among the oldest cities with over 3100 years of history and has served as the capital city for 13 dynasties of ancient China. At the geographic center of China, Xi’an deserves the title of a natural history museum. The city has preserved the largest ancient city wall and over 100 km2 of protected signi‰- cant sites from early dynasties of Zhou (1046-256 bc), Qin (221-206 bc), Han (206 bc to ad 220), and Tang (ad 618-907). As part of the economic revival of interior regions under China’s recent “Western Development” policy, Xi’an has reemerged as one of China’s major cities with a population of over 7 million. The urbanization process has profoundly changed the spatial patterns of the landscape. Protection and conservation of historical landmarks of ancient civilizations and the development of a new city in this world famous ancient capital represent a signi‰cant challenge.
