Abstract: Planning thought is the forerunner of planning decision behavior, and the planning decision under the specific historical background reflects the aesthetic cognition at that time. To carry out a diachronic study of the behavior of planning decision-making and to analyze the essence of aesthetic thoughts contained in the evolution of urban planning thoughts is helpful to clarify the relationship between aesthetic thoughts and planning decision-making behaviors. Based on the theory of landscape (environmental) aesthetics, this paper analyzes the typical urban planning decision-making behaviors in the three periods of ancient China (before 1840), modern China (from 1840 to 1949) and after the founding of the People's Republic of China (after 1949), and interprets the thinking driving characteristics behind urban planning thoughts. It is clear that one of the reasons for the current urban homogenization lies in the weakening of traditional symbolic aesthetics in planning thoughts and the restriction of immature culture. The research aims to provide a new perspective and direction for the inheritance of urban planning ideas under the new normal.