Selected Cases of Contemporary Urban Planning and Design in China Series - 1 Urban Master Planning and Zonal Planning

Author: Ke Fang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: The Old City of Beijing is a typical representative of China's historical and cultural cities and a world-renowned cultural ancient capital. However, since the 1990s, with the rapid rise of the real estate industry, large-scale renovation has surged in the Old City of Beijing. This has not only caused significant damage to the historical and cultural environment but also brought numerous socio-economic issues to the entire city. Therefore, how to strengthen the protection of the Old City of Beijing through urban planning research during the rapid development of the city has become an urgent issue. This book is the author's excellent doctoral dissertation completed at the School of Architecture, Tsinghua University. It primarily discusses the protection and development of residential areas in the Old City of Beijing from the perspective of urban planning. The author adopts a methodology of investigating, analyzing, and solving problems, applying professional theory and design methods, integrating knowledge from disciplines such as sociology, economics, law, ecology, aesthetics, and urban history. It critically reflects on the current large-scale renovation methods and proposes theoretical research and policy frameworks for the organic renewal of the Old City of Beijing at both strategic and tactical levels. At the same time, the book further explores the connotations of Professor Wu Liangyong's theory of "organic renewal" using the Old City of Beijing as a case study and expands the theory from the perspective of planning methods through practical applications. The book is divided into three parts. The first part reviews the history of large-scale renovation in the residential areas of the Old City of Beijing, then conducts an in-depth examination of the problems it has caused, and explores the roots of this widespread renovation method by analyzing its characteristics and socio-economic background. Later, it summarizes and analyzes the various drawbacks and harms of large-scale renovation in the Old City residential areas by drawing on the historical lessons of "urban renewal" in the West. The second part primarily discusses the overall relationship between the protection of the Old City and urban development. It elaborates on the strategic significance of protecting the Old City of Beijing and explores and looks ahead to the urban spatial development strategy and land development mechanism of Beijing by analyzing the shortcomings in the current planning research and management. The third part further studies the organic renewal of residential areas in the Old City of Beijing. It first examines planning and design projects for the renewal of the Old City, such as the renovation of Ju'er Hutong residential areas, to analyze and grasp the theory and methods of organic renewal. Then, it discusses the socio-economic significance and feasibility of "small-scale remediation and transformation" in combination with specific planning practices. Drawing on the successful experience of the "community architecture" movement, it proposes a policy framework that encourages "residential participation" and "community cooperation" for "community cooperative renewal." The conclusion summarizes the book and puts forward several suggestions regarding the organic renewal of residential areas in the Old City of Beijing.