中文摘要：

通过对中国城市意象研究文献的分析,归纳出中国城市意象研究主要的三大主题：第一类是基于林奇认知地图五大要素的揭示城市意象元素及城市结构的研究;第二类是以挖掘地方特色为目标的城市意象研究;第三类通过城市意象研究试图对城市规划和城市设计进行评估;分别对这三种研究取向进行分析,阐释其存在的两种研究范式：解释性研究和诊断性研究,并对城市意象研究目标、方法等进行讨论和反思。

英文摘要：

Three themes are identified in urban image studies after a review of the academic literatures in China.The first one reveals the basic elements and structure of a city based on the five elements proposed by Lynch;the second one aims at identifying local characteristics of city environment;and the last one aims at assessing the results of city planning and design.After the analysis of the three themes, two paradigms are explored and interpreted：explanatory studies and diagnosis studies.Finally,this paper discusses and reflects the research objectives and methods in urban image studies.