Question

Two maps depict the same ancient city at different time periods.The map keys labeled are Imperial City, Important building, Place of interest (marked with a solid dot), Wall (thin solid line), Gate, Street (dashed line), and Canal (solid line). In the upper map, the Forbidden City is located at the center of the Inner City, identified as an imperial complex surrounded by walls and canals. Important buildings within and near the Forbidden City include the Temple of Earth to the north, the Temple of Sun to the east, the Temple of Moon to the west, and the Temple of Heaven and Temple of Agriculture to the south in the Outer City. The Bell Tower and Drum Tower are positioned just north of the Forbidden City. In the lower map, additional details show structures such as the Palace, Xingsheng Palace, Longlu Palace, and an Observatory. The Central Tower, Bell Tower, and Drum Tower are also labeled as places of interest.
Use the figure to answer the question.

In one sentence, identify the ancient city whose two major phases are depicted in the figure.
In 1–2 sentences, describe a feature that plan (a) shares with the urban planning commonly seen in colonies established by France and Spain centuries later.
In 2–3 sentences, analyze another example of a city whose urban structure changed dramatically due to a change in power or governance. How does the change in urban structure reinforce the cultural or political power of a new leader?

Answer 1

The maps depict Beijing, centered on the Forbidden City.

Plan (a) and later French/Spanish colonial towns both organize power around a dominant central axis or focal complex (the imperial palace or a central plaza), with administrative and religious buildings deliberately sited to create a clear, hierarchical urban order.

A clear parallel is Paris under Napoleon III and Haussmann: medieval streets were razed and replaced by broad, straight boulevards, uniform facades, parks, and monumental axes that both modernized circulation and public health and made military movement and surveillance easier; the redesigned cityscape visibly embodied and reinforced the centralized authority and prestige of the Second Empire.