Road map for application of the HUL approach in China

Abstract

PurposeThis article is an editorial to JCHMSD's Volume 3, Issue 1 and aims to provide an overview to its selection of papers.Design/methodology/approachThe article builds upon a previous editorial on the implementation of the new UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL). It discusses a research and training programme under development by the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research in Asia and the Pacific (WHITRAP) and Tongji University's Advanced Research Institute for Architecture and Urban Planning, in Shanghai, China, to help determining a strategy for the application of the HUL approach in China.FindingsThe HUL approach facilitates a structuring and priority setting of competing needs and demands for the integration of urban development and heritage management processes, which is perhaps most pressing in the current Chinese context of rapid and large‐scale urbanization. However, its precise meaning, and therefore its merit, is still poorly understood in China due to confusing conceptual foundations and interpretations, primarily related to the terminology of “cultural landscape”.Originality/valueThis research paper outlines a series of pertinent issues and questions as part of a critical path –a “road map”– for the application of the HUL approach, as promoted by UNESCO, in China and it outlines key areas for further research, in particular as concerns the development of a toolkit.

Collaborating with Local Communities to Identify Improvement Priorities for Historic Urban Landscape Based on Residents’ Satisfaction: An Application of Asymmetric Impact-Performance Analysis in Dandong, China

“…In the process of urbanization and globalization, urban conservation reinforces the links among history, present, and future, which, from both spatial and spiritual aspects, contributes to the continuity of the sense of place and local identity. Although the outdated and isolated preservation paradigm is still active in some parts of China [10], the HUL approach provides a comprehensive way of interpreting the city and identifies urban heritage as resources in enhancing the livability and sustainability of urban areas [9].…”

“…In contrast, "Historic Center" is an excitement factor with low performance. This attribute is concerned with historic spatial patterns and order, involving landmarks, corridors, and connections of spaces [10], as well as the urban fabric and land use [79,80]. Since excitement factors do not cause dissatisfaction, improvement in this attribute is not essential.…”

“…Smith, Nelischer, and Perkins [20] summarized the quality and needs principles of urban communities, such as character, connection, mobility, and diversity, based on Lynch's theory and quality principles derived from professional publications. In the context of HUL, some attributes, such as a sense of place, identity, historic center, dynamic integrity, continuity, and human factor, have been the focus of scholarly work [9,10,13,49,50].…”

“…The HUL approach provides a fresh view of seeing and interpreting cities and suggests landscape approaches to identify, preserve, and manage historic areas within comprehensive urban contexts [1]. HUL can also be seen as an object of protection, namely, city or parts of it can be taken as HUL when the HUL approach is applied [10]. The proposition of the HUL notion served as a catalyst to trigger discussion, meanwhile, the approach has been evolving and new methods and tools for urban conservation are needed [9].Prioritizing management actions is one of the crucial procedures to perform the HUL approach [1].…”

Learning from Italian Typology- and Morphology-Led Planning Techniques: A Planning Framework for Yingping, Xiamen

“…Much of the existing research relating to urban conservation and regeneration of China focuses on several key topics: the historical development process of urban conservation and regeneration in China in the context of the transforming political-economic conditions [16][17][18]; the interpretation and implication of international principles and ideas of heritage conservation and management in the Chinese context, such as the Burra Charter [19,20], the idea of authenticity [21][22][23][24], and the concept of historic urban landscape [24][25][26]; the role of governments in facilitating the revitalization of dilapidated historic quarters and generating politico-economic benefits [27][28][29][30][31], especially through cooperation with real-estate developers [32,33] and through the pursuit of World Heritage listing [15,34,35]; social capital, public participation, and interaction of regenerating and conserving historic quarters [36][37][38][39][40]; the transformation of spatial structures and urban forms in historic areas [41,42]; and the indicators for assessing the sustainability of built heritage [43,44].…”