Preliminary research and analysis

Exploration of Urban Culture and History

Exploring the Roots of colors: Every city has its unique culture and history, which are important sources of its colors. For instance, as a famous historical and cultural city, the red walls and yellow tiles of the Forbidden City in Beijing are typical color representatives. Red symbolizes auspiciousness and prosperity, while yellow represents the nobility of imperial power. By studying the historical documents, architectural relics, traditional arts, etc. of the city, the color elements closely related to the urban culture are unearthed, providing profound cultural background support for the urban color planning.

Inheriting cultural memories: Urban colors are important carriers of a city's cultural memories. During the planning process, it is necessary to fully consider how to inherit these memories. For instance, in some cities with traditional handicraft cultures, the commonly used colors in handicrafts can be integrated into the urban color planning, allowing people to feel the atmosphere of traditional culture in every corner of the city and enhancing the cultural identity and sense of belonging of urban residents.

Research on the Characteristics of the Natural Environment

Analysis of geographical and climatic influences: The geographical location and climatic conditions of a city have a significant impact on its color. For instance, in regions with hot climates, the colors of urban buildings can be chosen in relatively light and cool tones, such as white and light blue, to reduce heat absorption. In regions with cold climates, warmer and darker colors such as brown and orange can be chosen to create a cozy atmosphere. Meanwhile, the topography and landforms also affect the color layout of a city. For mountainous areas, cities can choose architectural colors that are in harmony with the colors of the mountains.

Utilizing the colors of natural landscapes: The natural landscapes around a city, such as forests, rivers, and lakes, are also important references for urban color planning. The color elements in natural landscapes can be integrated into the color design of urban buildings and public Spaces, enabling the city and the natural environment to blend and complement each other. For instance, in urban areas close to forests, the architectural colors can be chosen in green or brown tones similar to those of the forests to create a natural and harmonious atmosphere.

Assessment of the color of existing buildings and Spaces

Investigate the current state of building color: Conduct a comprehensive investigation of the color of existing buildings in the city, including the color of the building's facade, roof, doors and Windows, etc. Understand the color distribution and characteristics of different regions and types of buildings, and identify the existing problems and deficiencies. For instance, the architectural colors in some old urban areas might be rather chaotic, lacking uniformity and coordination. However, some newly built areas may have the problem of overly monotonous or overly bright colors.

Analyze the color effect of public Spaces: In addition to architectural colors, the colors of public Spaces in the city, such as squares, parks, and streets, should also be evaluated. Observe whether the color matching of ground paving, green vegetation, landscape ornaments and other elements in public Spaces is reasonable and whether it can meet people's usage and aesthetic needs. For instance, the color of the ground paving in some squares is too dazzling, which may affect people's visual perception and willingness to stay.

Principles of color Planning

The principle of integrity

Unify the color tone of the city: The color planning of the city should have an overall color tone, which can be determined based on factors such as the city's culture, history, and natural environment. For example, cities with historical and cultural themes can choose relatively stable and heavy color tones, such as brown, gray, etc. Cities with modern technology as their theme can choose relatively simple and bright color tones, such as white and blue. Based on the overall tone, each area and building can make appropriate color changes according to their own characteristics, but it is necessary to ensure coordination with the overall tone.

Coordinating the colors of different areas: Different areas of a city have different functions and characteristics. In color planning, these differences should be fully considered to achieve the harmonious unity of colors in different areas. For example, commercial areas can choose brighter and more lively colors to attract consumers' attention; The residential area can choose more warm and comfortable colors to create a quiet and peaceful living environment. At the same time, the color transition between different areas should be natural and smooth, avoiding abrupt color changes.

Functional principle

Meeting different functional requirements: Different areas and buildings in a city have different functions, and color planning should be able to meet these functional requirements. For example, public buildings such as hospitals and schools need to choose relatively soft and quiet colors to relieve people's tension and promote physical and mental health. For industrial buildings such as factories and warehouses, more durable and easy-to-clean colors can be chosen to meet the requirements of the production environment.

Guiding traffic and identification: In urban traffic planning, color can also play a guiding and identifying role. For example, the traffic directions of pedestrians and vehicles can be guided by setting up traffic signs of different colors, ground paving, etc. At all the entrances and exits and important nodes of the city, landmark buildings or landscape features with distinct color characteristics should be set up to facilitate people's identification and location.

The principle of sustainability

Consider color durability: The colors of urban buildings and public Spaces should have good durability and be able to withstand the tests of time and the natural environment. When choosing color materials, it is necessary to consider their properties such as anti-fading and anti-pollution to ensure that the urban colors can remain stable and beautiful during long-term use. For instance, some exterior wall coatings should have excellent weather resistance, being able to remain colorfast and unspoiled under the influence of natural factors such as sunlight and rain.

Adapt to environmental changes: Urban color planning should have a certain degree of adaptability and be able to make corresponding adjustments along with the development of the city and changes in the environment. For example, when carrying out urban renewal and transformation, full consideration should be given to the color coordination between new buildings and the surrounding environment. When dealing with environmental issues such as climate change, the microclimate environment of the city can be improved by adjusting the city's color, such as increasing the area of green vegetation and enhancing the ecological benefits of the city.

Color planning strategy

Architectural color planning

Determine the main and auxiliary colors of the building: Based on the overall color planning of the city and the functional characteristics of the building, determine the main and auxiliary colors of the building. The main color tone is the main body of the architectural color and should be able to reflect the personality and style of the building. Auxiliary colors are used to enrich the color gradation of buildings, playing a role in embellishment and coordination. For instance, in commercial buildings, the main color tones can be chosen to be relatively bright colors, such as red and yellow, to attract consumers' attention. The auxiliary colors can be light tones that coordinate with the main color tone, such as white and beige, to make the architectural color more harmonious.

Control the proportion of architectural colors: In architectural color design, it is necessary to reasonably control the proportion of different colors to avoid overly chaotic or monotonous colors. Generally speaking, the area of the main color tone should account for a larger proportion of the building's facade, while the areas of the auxiliary colors and accent colors are relatively smaller. For instance, in the color design of a building, the main color tone can account for 70% to 80% of the facade area, the auxiliary color for 15% to 20%, and the accent color for 5% to 10%.

Color planning of public Spaces

Color selection for ground paving: Ground paving is an important component of the color of public Spaces, and its color selection should be in harmony with the surrounding environment and the color of the building. For example, in the ground paving of the square, colors similar to those of the surrounding buildings can be chosen to enhance the overall sense of the square. In the paving of the park's walkways, more natural and soft colors such as brown and gray can be chosen to blend in with the park's greenery and vegetation.

Color matching of landscape ornaments: Landscape ornaments, such as sculptures, fountains, and seats, are the finishing touches in public Spaces. Their color matching should be able to attract people's attention while also being in harmony with the overall environment. For example, in a square themed on modern art, the colors of the sculptures can be chosen to be brighter and more unique to highlight their artistry. The color of the seats can be chosen to be in harmony with the ground paving of the square, making the color of the entire square more harmonious and unified.

Urban signage color planning

Unified color system for signs: Urban signs, such as traffic signs, public facility signs, commercial signs, etc., should have a unified color system so that people can quickly identify and understand them. For instance, in traffic signs, red represents prohibition and stop, yellow represents warning and caution, and green represents passage and safety, etc. The meanings of these colors have been deeply rooted in people's minds. In the color planning of urban signs, these standards must be strictly followed.

Highlight the color characteristics of the signs: On the basis of a unified color system for signs, some color features of the signs can be highlighted according to the characteristics and demands of the city. For instance, in some tourist cities, some color elements with local characteristics can be incorporated into the tourism signs, such as the colors of local traditional buildings and folk culture, to enhance the recognition and appeal of the city signs.

Implementation and Management

Formulate standards and guidelines for color planning

Clarify color usage norms: To ensure the effective implementation of urban color planning, detailed color planning standards and guidelines should be formulated, clearly defining the color usage norms for different areas, types of buildings, and public Spaces. For instance, define the parameter ranges such as color saturation and lightness for commercial area buildings, and restrict the use of some colors that are overly dazzling or incompatible with the surrounding environment.

Offer color matching suggestions: In the color planning guidelines, some color matching suggestions and cases can also be provided to serve as references for architects, urban planners, etc. For instance, recommend some color combination schemes suitable for buildings with different functions, as well as color adjustment suggestions for different seasons and weather conditions.

Strengthen the approval and supervision of color planning

Establish an approval mechanism: In the approval process of urban construction projects, color planning should be regarded as one of the important review contents. Projects that do not meet the standards and guidelines for color planning will not be approved for construction to ensure the seriousness and authority of urban color planning. For instance, in the approval of architectural planning permits, it is required that the construction entity submit the architectural color design plan and organize experts to conduct a review.

Carry out daily supervision: Urban management departments should strengthen the daily supervision of urban colors, promptly identify and handle behaviors that violate the color planning. For instance, issues such as unauthorized alteration of building colors and the installation of uncoordinated color signs in public Spaces should be corrected and punished to maintain the overall image and harmony of the city's color.

Carry out color publicity and education

Enhance public awareness of color: By carrying out color promotion activities, improve the public's understanding and recognition of urban color planning, and strengthen the public's color awareness and aesthetic level. For instance, hold exhibitions, lectures and other activities on the theme of urban color to popularize the knowledge and significance of urban color planning among the public.

Encourage public participation: Encourage public participation in the formulation and implementation process of urban color planning, and listen to the opinions and suggestions of the public. For instance, during the public display period of the urban color planning scheme, opinions from the public should be widely solicited to involve them in the decision-making process of urban color, thereby enhancing the scientific and democratic nature of the urban color planning.