THE CONTINUATION AND REGENERATION OF SPATIAL IMAGERIES IN THE OLD PARTS OF TRADITIONAL SHANGHAI WATER TOWNS

Abstract

In the past 20 years, Shanghai’s city development has focused on its Central City and the newly formed Satellite Cities, each with a planned population of approximately half a million. Currently, China is entering into its second half of the urbanization process. This period is widely known as the transitional phase. This phase takes place in two folds: the urban regeneration with new patterns within the Central City as well as the urban renewal programs in small towns at the outskirt of Shanghai.

This is a distinct transition as the popular patterns of urbanization in the past are no longer applicable. Nonetheless, current planning strategies on towns conducting physical changes are following the same pattern as those applied in big cities, such as car centric road system planning and generic land use planning methods. Towns are turning into faceless clones of each other and are losing attractiveness as a desirable living environment for dwellers. If it continues like this, it is unlikely to develop a reasonable approach for towns’ regeneration, which is vital because towns will have to accommodate most of the population in the next two decades. It is urgent to rethink the definition as well as regeneration strategies of towns.

With the main objective of exploring regeneration options for restoring the genius loci and image of traditional water towns, this paper studied the old quarter as a prototype. Key spaces of research are formulated based on Kevin Lynch’s five elements of imageability - paths, nodes, landmarks, edges and districts. According to Lynch, imageability is the key criteria in constructing a successful urban plan and a satisfying environment for inhabitants. The observation and analysis do echo with this statement. In addition, highly imageable forms do not only contribute to the legibility of a place, but also the genius loci of the place.

Observations and other qualitative methods are mainly used in the understanding of imagery spaces in the old quarter. Following that, comparative case studies are used to suggest regeneration strategies (detailed in Chapter 4). Concurrently, literature review assists the understanding of town renewal programs in other contexts. Relevant issues and lessons are raised (detailed in Chapter 2).

Due to relatively short time spent in Shanghai, the length of observation period on site is limited. The study of spatial imageries is limited to an outsider’s point of view - based on the movement around the town (wondering in a town). However, the view point could also come from a fixed point (within a specific plot). For instance, from those people who are actually living within the town/plot/house/yard. Their spatial senses experienced would be different from the author’s. The study acknowledges this alternate perspective, though it is not particularly examined in this paper (which can only be experienced if reside in the town). Therefore, the paper aims to reflect the observations in the most objective and real manner.