Page 69 - JCAU-6-4

Journal of Chinese

Architecture and Urbanism

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Conservation and regeneration of architectural

and urban heritage: The case of the Xinmalu
historical site, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China

Ali A. Alraouf*

Department of Urban Planning, Urban Lab and Design Studio, Doha, Qatar

Abstract

The current discourse about contemporary cities emphasizes the notion of heritage
conservation and preservation as a catalyst for expressing local identity and
accomplishing community development. This article uses the case of Ningbo City
(Zhejiang, China) to interrogate different approaches to preserve and rehabilitate
architectural and urban heritage. Over the past two decades, the identification,
documentation, and preservation of deteriorating dwellings and the urban context
of traditional cities have undergone an unprecedented cycle of transformation. The
article explores the economic, social, and cultural practices that inform strategies
for heritage conservation, with a particular focus on Ningbo’s experiences. The
selected projects from the city’s context range from independent house restoration
and rehabilitation to traditional markets and the preservation of its urban heritage
*Corresponding author: core. In addition, the article provides insights into the complexities of the ongoing
Ali A. Alraouf discourse surrounding the interpretation, evaluation, protection, and augmentation
(alialraouf@gmail.com) of heritage territories. It confronts questions such as how to encourage inclusivity
Citation: Alraouf, A. A. (2024). and diversity in cities’ heritage zones and urban spaces, and how specific chapters
Conservation and regeneration of of the past are chosen and reintroduced for suggested contemporary functions.
architectural and urban heritage: The article also examines the cooperation between international organizations
The case of the Xinmalu historical
site, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. and local planning entities in shaping a vision for Ningbo’s heritage conservation
Journal of Chinese Architecture and and rehabilitation. The study concludes by summarizing the successes of projects
Urbanism, 6(4), 2623. in the Xinmalu Heritage District in Ningbo, which foster growth and community
https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.2623
development without compromising the value of its heritage.
Received: January 3, 2024
Accepted: May 16, 2024
Keywords: Ningbo; Heritage conservation; Rehabilitation; Community development;
Published Online: October 3, 2024 Urban identity; Urban governance
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an open-access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution- 1. Introduction
Non-Commercial 4.0 International
(CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits all There is a consensus among urban historians that China has preserved one of the world’s
non-commercial use, distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, richest built environments. The diversity of China’s unique architecture and urban
provided the original work is achievements spans from entire walled cities to bridges, pagodas, and 20 -century icons
th
properly cited. of the Communist nation (Steinhardt, 2019; UNESCO, 2011). The Chinese government
Publisher’s Note: AccScience acknowledges the value of such a unique heritage and has embarked on major measures
Publishing remains neutral with to conserve and preserve national icons and the historic fabric of its urban development,
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional which has been accumulated from centuries of cultural interactions and identity
affiliations. manifestations (Xu & Sofield, 2019). As a result, Chinese cities have recently focused on

Volume 6 Issue 4 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.2623