Page 34 - JCAU-6-4

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Residents’ perspectives on heritage strategies

uniqueness by highlighting local characteristics, such as suggesting that factors such as gender, age, duration of
featuring fake-antique architecture. Interviewee 08 pointed residency, and educational background do not significantly
out the significance of piecemeal planning in promoting impact residents’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the
economic vibrancy while preserving heritage sites. local government’s urban heritage conservation strategies.
Meanwhile, Interviewee 11 supported leveraging heritage Based on the mean responses to the five-point Likert
sites to enhance the city’s image and attract investment. scale used in the survey (i.e., “1” indicates completely
Both Interviewees 12 and 13 described government unaware/completely ineffective and “5” indicates highly
measures or strategies that blend tradition with modernity, aware/highly effective), which assessed perceptions on
including constructing distinctive neighborhoods and the five dimensions of Guancheng district’s urban heritage
creating historical and cultural landmarks to preserve local conservation strategies (Table 9), residents overall held a
historical memory and stimulate new economic vitality. neutral stance toward the government’s implementations.
Nonetheless, a balance between heritage preservation and This result reflects local residents’ hesitation or uncertainty
economic development is the key to ensuring that the about the effectiveness of the local government’s strategies.
long-term preservation of heritage is not compromised by In addition, the lack of significant differences in the
commercialization. standard deviation implies that residents’ responses across

4.2. Residents’ perspectives on local urban all five dimensions of the strategies were similar, indicating
conservation strategies that residents may not be particularly concerned about
the specific details of the implementation of heritage
Based on the findings from the thematic analysis, a survey conservation strategies in the Guancheng district.
was conducted to gather residents’ perceptions of the
effectiveness of the preservation strategies implemented The research findings show that local residents in
by the Guancheng municipal government. A total of 294 Zhengzhou exhibit a low level of interest and attention
valid questionnaires were collected and analyzed using toward the urban heritage conservation measures planned
SPSS. Table 4 displays the demographic details of the or implemented by the local government. This indicates
respondents. that residents have limited knowledge about the cultural
heritage of the area.
To gain insights into how various demographic
groups – including those based on gender, age, duration Several discussions during face-to-face surveys
of residency, and educational background – perceive local at heritage sites uncovered differing opinions about
urban heritage conservation strategies, statistical tools such cultural events and urban redevelopment initiatives
as the t-test and ANOVA were utilized. The results of the in the Guancheng district. For example, a 31-year-old
analysis are presented in Tables 5-8. The results revealed respondent perceived the food and cultural festival held
that all p-values exceeded the significance level of 0.05, near the heritage site to be indistinguishable from a typical
marketplace and expressed no interest. Similarly, a 67-year-
old resident commented that the revamped Pingdeng Street
Table 4. Demographic distribution of the research subjects lacked its original charm, despite its tidier layout. These
(n=294)
findings highlight a gap between the government’s efforts to
Variables Characteristics Percentage (%) preserve urban memory and residents’ actual experiences.
Gender Male 54 5. Discussion
Female 46
Age groups 18 – 35 years old 53 The current study provides valuable insight into the
36 – 59 years old 41 opinions of Zhengzhou city residents regarding the heritage
conservation strategies implemented in the Guancheng
60+years old 6 district, based on the five key strategic dimensions derived
Duration of residency 1 – 3 years 5.8 from feedback from experts and practitioners. Overall,
4 – 6 years 8.8 the implemented strategies fail to evoke clear positive or
7 – 9 years 12.2 negative sentiments among the local people. The existing
10+years 73.1 conservation initiatives have not significantly fostered
Education Certificate/diploma 21.0 a sense of local identity or regional pride within the
Undergraduate degree 56.5 community. The general public in Guancheng neither
opposes nor supports the conservation of heritage
Postgraduate degree 12.6 assets. This lack of strong sentiment may be attributed
Others 9.9 to the dominant role of the local government in shaping

Volume 6 Issue 4 (2024) 13 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3421