A new kind of beauty out of the underlying scaling of geographic space

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

JIANG, B.

Dept. of Technology and Built Environment, Division of Geomatics, Univ., Gävle, Suede

SUI, D.Z.

Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (CURA), Ohio State Univ., Columbus, Etats-Unis

Description :
Geographic space demonstrates scaling or hierarchy, implying that there are far more small things than large ones. The scaling pattern of geographic space, if visualized properly can evoke a sense of beauty. This beauty is a new type of aesthetic at a deeper structural level and differs in essence from an intuitive sense of harmony, perceived in terms of color, shape, texture, and ratio. This new kind of beauty was initially defined and discovered by Christopher Alexander, and promoted in his master work The Nature of Order. To paraphrase Mandelbrot, this is beauty for the sake of science rather than for art's sake or for the sake of commerce. Throughout the article, we attempt to argue and illustrate that the scaling of geographic space possesses this new kind of beauty, which has a positive impact on human well-being.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
The Professional geographer, issn : 0033-0124, 2014, vol. 66, n°. 4, p. 676-686, nombre de pages : 11, Références bibliographiques : 2 p.

Date :
2014

Editeur :
Pays édition : Etats-Unis, Cambridge, MA, Blackwell

Langue :
Anglais