Page 91 - JCAU-5-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Revitalization through community empowerment

significance behind the spatial improvement, strengthen
the organic link between spatial resources and social
groups, and link resources from a larger regional level
across the community (Ran et al., 2018).
4.1. Cultural empowerment to generate sense of
place
The creation of the IP (Intellectual Property, by extension,
a cultural brand bringing high exposure) of Laoshan
Jiedao and the “Laoshan Forever Young Revitalization
5
Action Plan” is a fundamental part of the initial phase of
community empowerment. Before deciding to create the
IP, Laoshan Jiedao had already done some work in the
Figure 1. Birdseye view of Laoshan community. Source: Laoshan Jiedao field of community empowerment in a piecemeal manner,
Office. such as the upgrading of various small and micro spaces.
However, the Jiedao believes that Laoshan needs an
overall leading spiritual brand to support the community
empowerment work. First, it was because the original
visual brand was relatively mediocre and could not reflect
the local temperament of Laoshan, and it was more difficult
to meet the demand of revitalizing the community through
the brand effect; second, it was because some Jiedaos in
Beijing have started to adopt various creative media
marketing work methods in community empowerment
after the Beijing Municipal Committee Urban Work
Conference held at the end of 2018, which has also given
some inspiration to Laoshan Jiedao.
After the principal planner team came to Laoshan Jiedao
in 2019, Laoshan Jiedao proposed to create its own IP and
entrusted the principal planner team to carry out related
work. The Laoshan Forever Young Revitalization Action
Figure 2. Resources around Laoshan community. Source: Author. Plan aims to enhance the influence and comprehensive
service capacity of Laoshan by tapping into the rich
of the principal planner is the Jiedao (subdistrict, or resources of the street and linking multiple forces to
neighborhood community) to which the planner belongs, participate in the neighborhood revitalization, activating
and the channeling down of the principal planner to the the area with social innovation. A team from the Academy
Jiedao is an important measure to help the grassroots carry of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University was invited to
out urban renewal work and assist in the refinement of design the logo of Laoshan Jiedao and the Laoshan Forever
urban governance with professional power. As a member Young Revitalization Action Plan, and the final proposal
of the responsible planner team in Laoshan Jiedao, the was selected by residents through an online voting process.
author has been involved in the community empowerment As shown in Figure 3A, the logo of Laoshan Jiedao
work of Laoshan community since 2019. abstracts the terrain of Laoshan as the basic figure, with
different colors to represent modern sports, technology,
4. Three types of community empowerment culture, and other resources of the local Laoshan area.
practice As shown in Figure 3B, the logo of the Laoshan Forever
Young Revitalization Action Plan is based on this and
In the 3-year community empowerment process, the links all kinds of resources together through a Möbius
principal planner summarized three working themes, Ring, which symbolizes the spirit of infinite possibilities
namely, cultural construction, resource connection, and and integration, implying that multiple cultures and
public participation. The renewal and renovation work
in resource-depleted communities should not only be 5 Laoshan in Chinese literally means “the Old Hill”. The naming
limited to the transformation of physical space but also of Laoshan Forever Young responses to this literal meaning,
focus on the social benefits and sustainable development saying the Old Hill is not really old.

Volume 5 Issue 1 (2023) 6 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0351