Spatial revitalization and renewal strategies of historic neighborhoods in poor places based on Depthmap–taking Zhengyangguan township neighborhood in Shou County, Huainan City, China as an example
This paper focuses on exploring strategies for revitalizing and renewing historical districts in impoverished ancient towns, using the case study of Zhengyangguan, a historical district located in Shouxian County, Huainan City, China. Through Depthmap spatial syntax analysis, the study conducts a qu...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2025.2539271 |
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| Summary: | This paper focuses on exploring strategies for revitalizing and renewing historical districts in impoverished ancient towns, using the case study of Zhengyangguan, a historical district located in Shouxian County, Huainan City, China. Through Depthmap spatial syntax analysis, the study conducts a quantitative analysis on the topological morphology of historical streets, and visualizes the street accessibility and spatial comprehensibility of Zhengyangguan Town. Combining the methodologies of PSPL and POE, this paper evaluates the status quo of the street space and obtains renovation demands of the district. Based on these findings, three key strategies for the revitalization and renewal of historical districts are proposed: a comprehensive top-down control strategy, the strategy of material space renewal, and a bottom-up operation and maintenance strategy. By addressing key conflicts among and demands of various stakeholders, an implementation path is devised to combine rigorous control measures with flexible guidance, with a view to effectively coordinate diverse interests and redefine the distribution of functions within the district. Furthermore, the study suggests removing factors that affect the historical features of the architecture, transforming fragmented space into public areas. Additionally, highly accessible streets are prohibited from centralized stall activities, and low-cost operational space is under centralized regulation. To enhance the sustainability of the district’s landscape, an operational mechanism is proposed, featuring a collaboration between residents and merchants in an effort to build and maintain urban landscape. Through proposed approaches, the study successfully addresses challenges at a low cost with minor modification, such as the fragmentation of the district, underutilization of space, inadequate infrastructure, and disorder of business environment, in order to improve distinctive features of the historical district, enhance the quality of its spatial environment, and cultivate a sense of cultural identity and happiness among residents. |
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| ISSN: | 1347-2852 |