AC 5007 - Batch 1 - Zhao Yihua

BALANCING CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT: LEARNING FROM SINGAPORE AND SHANGHAI CASES by Zhao Yihua A0228756R

Bachelor of Architecture Hunan University, China

Dissertation submitted to the Department of Architecture in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Architectural Conservation) at National University of Singapore November 2021

Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our professors, Johannes Widodo and Nikhil Joshi for your teaching and guidance for this year. I am also very grateful to my classmates; as the only Chinese student in our first batch class, I really received much patience, help, and care from them.

Special thanks to all of my family and friends, especially my cousin Wu Weihua and my friend Liu Mei and Zhou Ying, what you give me cannot be put down in words.

Abstract After the rapid development in the past few decades, the basic urban layout of Singapore and Shanghai has been formed; the residential apartments and public buildings have been able to meet the needs of the citizens. In recent years, the focus of the two cities has gradually changed from new apartments and new city complexes to urban conservation and renewal.

Under the background of urban development and renewal in Singapore and Shanghai in recent decades, this dissertation will select some typical conservation cases in the same period in the two cities, then analyze the relevant strategies, methods and results, and make some comparisons to discuss the changes and progress of conservation in these two cities.

In the initial stage of conservation, that is, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, conservation was still under the pressure of rapid urban expansion, and it was considered excusable to demolish or destroy historical buildings for urban development. Subsequently, with the basic completion of urban infrastructure, the two cities began trying to find a balance between urban development and urban conservation. At this stage, many conservation projects combining old and new appeared. After the 21st century, especially after the 2010s, the urban development strategy has been transforming to the people-based, coordinated development of urban development and conservation.

Tables of Contents Acknowledgements Abstract List of Tables List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................ 3 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 6 1.3 Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 2: Early Explorations: Conservation Submerged Under Urban Development .............. 7 2.1 Historical Background ........................................................................................................... 7 2.1.1 Strategies and Policies of Urban Conservation in Singapore ......................................... 7 2.1.2 Strategies and Policies of Urban Conservation in Shanghai .......................................... 8 2.2 Case Study: Bugis Junction in Singapore (1991-1995) .......................................................... 9 2.2.1 Basic Information and Characteristics ........................................................................... 9 2.2.2 Process, Methods and Preliminary Results of the Project ............................................ 9 2.3 Case Study: Yu Garden in Shanghai (1991-1994) ................................................................ 12 2.3.1 Basic Information and Characteristics ......................................................................... 12 2.3.2 Process, Methods and Preliminary Results of the Project .......................................... 13 2.4 Findings, Comparison, and Discussion ................................................................................ 14 2.4.1 General Review ............................................................................................................ 14 2.4.2 Changes of Regional Master Layout and Details ...................................................... 16 2.4.3 Current situation of Commerce ................................................................................... 19 2.4.4 Findings ........................................................................................................................ 20 Chapter 3: Moving Towards Maturity: Finding a Balance Between Conservation and Development ................................................................................................................................ 21 3.1 Historical Background ........................................................................................................... 21 3.1.1 General Introduction ................................................................................................... 21 3.1.2 Strategies and Policies of Urban Conservation in Singapore ....................................... 22 3.1.3 Strategies and Policies of Urban Conservation in Shanghai .......................................... 22 3.2 Case Study: Far East Square in Singapore (1996-1999) ........................................................ 23

3.2.1 Basic Information and Characteristics ......................................................................... 23 3.2.2 Process, Methods and Preliminary Results of the Project .......................................... 24 3.3 Case Study: Xintiandi Square in Shanghai (1999-2001) ........................................................ 26 3.3.1 Basic Information and Characteristics ......................................................................... 26 3.3.2 Process, Methods and Preliminary Results of the Project .......................................... 27 3.4 Findings, Comparison, and Discussion ................................................................................ 29 3.4.1 General Review ............................................................................................................ 29 3.4.2 Changes of Regional Master Layout and Details ...................................................... 30 3.4.3 Current situation of commerce ................................................................................... 36 3.4.4 Dilemma and Future Development ............................................................................. 37 Chapter 4: Transition Period: People-based, Coordinated Development of Urban Development and Conservation .......................................................................................................................... 40 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Enlightenments ................................................................................. 43 Bibliography

Total No of Words: 10920 words (main text only)

List of Tables

1. Stages and Characteristics of Urban Development and Renewal in Singapore and Shanghai ....................................................................................................................................................5 2. Typical Conservation Projects in Singapore and Shanghai .....................................................6 3. Comparison of Regeneration between Bugis Junction and Yu Garden Tourist Mart ........14 4. Comparison of Store Types and Quantities in Bugis Junction and Yu Garden Tourist Mart 19 5. Comparison of Regeneration between Far East Square and Xintiandi Square ....................29 6. D/H in Far East Square and Xintiandi Square .....................................................................34 7. Comparison of Store Types and Quantities in Far East Square and Xintiandi Square..........36

List of Figures

1. Plots division and existing shophouses on Bugis Junction in 1990 ........................................9 2. Malabar Street in Bugis (1980s), now it is a “indoor street” in Bugis Junction ..................10 3. Bugis Junction was under construction ..............................................................................10 4. Malay Street looking towards Victoria Street in the 1980s ...............................................11 5. Malay Street looking towards Victoria Street in 2021 .......................................................12 6. Location of Yu Garden Tourist Mart ...................................................................................13 7. Yu Garden Mart in the 1980s ...............................................................................................13 8. Yu Garden Mart in the 1980s .............................................................................................13 9. Crowd in Yu Garden Mart in the 1980s ..............................................................................14 10. Yu Garden Tourist Mart in 2019 .........................................................................................14 11. Yu Garden Tourist Mart in 2019 .......................................................................................14 12. Original Bugis Junction in the 1980s .................................................................................16 13. Current Bugis Junction (2021) ............................................................................................17 14. An example section of typical shophouse district ............................................................17 15. Changes of the interior layout of shophouses .................................................................17 16. Plans of Yu Garden Area before Regeneration .................................................................18 17. Plans of Yu Garden Area after Regeneration ...................................................................18 18. Billboards on the antique-style building ..........................................................................18 19. The ways from urban roads to Yu Garden ........................................................................19 20. The junction of Peking Street and Teloy Ayer Street (1960s) ..........................................23 21. Street Market in Far East Square (1960s) .........................................................................24 22. The Glass Roof of Far East Square (2021) .........................................................................25 23. The bars of Far East Square at night (2021) .....................................................................26 24. A branch lane before Regeneration of Xintiandi Square ..................................................27 25. A branch lane after Regeneration of Xintiandi Square .....................................................27 26. Xintiandi Square after regeneration .................................................................................28 27. Current Plan of Far East Square (2021) ............................................................................30 28. Aerial Photo before Regeneration of Xintiandi Square ....................................................31 29. Aerial Photo after Regeneration of Xintiandi Square .......................................................31

30. Original Map of Xintiandi Square before Regeneration (1980s) ......................................32 31. Current map of Xintiandi Square (2020s) .........................................................................32 32. Residences in Xintiandi before Regeneration ..................................................................32 33. Residences in Xintiandi before Regeneration ..................................................................32 34. A branch Lane before Regeneration of Xintiandi Square .................................................33 35. A branch Lane after Regeneration of Xintiandi Square ....................................................33 36. Some End Roads have been Opened up and Connected with Urban Roads ...................33 37. Some End Roads have been Opened up and Connected with Urban Roads ...................33 38. A branch lane in Xintiandi Square (2019) .........................................................................34 39. The main lane in Xintiandi Square (2019) ........................................................................34 40. A fountain square in Xintiandi ..........................................................................................35 41. Original shophouses on the Amoy Street .........................................................................35 42. Current shophouses on the Amoy Street .........................................................................35 43. Murals in Far East Square (2021) .......................................................................................35 44. Statues in Far East Square (2021) .....................................................................................35 45. The Far East Square and Its Urban Context ......................................................................38 46. The Xintiandi Square and Its Urban Context ....................................................................39 47. New murals in the Far East Plaza (2020) ..........................................................................39 48. Brand Pop-up Store at Xintiandi Square (2020) ...............................................................40 49. Connection between Long Museum and Urban Landscape Corridor ..............................41 50. Renovation of 80,000-ton silos on Minsheng Wharf .......................................................42 51. The Green Pergola of the West Guizhou Lilong ...............................................................42 52. The Community Center of the West Guizhou Lilong ........................................................42

Chapter 1： Introduction 1.1 Background A few decades ago, Singapore and Shanghai were extremely messy and backward port cities. In the early days of Singapore's independence (from the 1960s to 1980s) and China's reform and opening (from 1980s to late 1990s), due to the urgent development needs of the cities and the limited financial resources of the authorities, urban development and renewal in Singapore and Shanghai pursued the maximization of economic benefits, showing the characteristics of large-scale, extensive and high-speed. At this stage, the focus of the two cities was still on urban expansion.

Then, after the initial high-speed development stage, the economy and urbanization level of the two cities improved rapidly, and the urban development concept of diversified and sustainable development began to appear. Urban regeneration strategy started to transform from large-scale reconstruction at the beginning to a diversified renewal that paid more attention to conservation.

At this stage, urban renewal projects began to explore the adjustment and rearrangement of existing space, rather than demolition.

Beginning in 1972, NHB began to include some important landmarks on the national monuments list. As for the wider urban conservation, although the Concept Plan (1971) had put forward some relevant strategies, it was actually not implemented until the mid-1980s. Singapore’s urban development strategy has changed from the simple “demolition and construction” to an urban renewal strategy that combines with conservation. In Singapore, the Conservation Master Plan (1986), the Draft Master Plan for the Civic and Cultural District (1988) and Urban Waterfronts Master Plan (1989) have formulated detailed conservation methods and plans for conserved areas in the city center and Marian Bay area. In 1987, URA carried out a series of restoration projects in the Tanjong Pagar area to show the public the results and feasibility of conservation.

Since the 1990s, the authorities began to experiment with the adaptive reuse method that combines the old with the new, trying to find a balance between the conservation of historical buildings and urban development. For instance, the regeneration projects of Clarke Quay, Bugis Junction and the Far East Square. And, at this stage, various stakeholder groups have also begun to participate in urban renewal.

Shanghai's awareness and understanding of urban conservation is slightly slower than that of Singapore. Before the 1990s, Shanghai did not pay much attention to historical buildings.

Preserving and restoring them to their original appearances was the core idea of conservation at that time. Typical cases at this stage are the restoration of Xujiahui Church (namely the St. Ignatius Cathedral of Shanghai1982) and the renovation of Shikumen residences at Lane 303 and Lane 252 on Penglai Road (1988). But this renovation project actually only increased the quality of residents' living space such as kitchen, bathroom and other facilities.

Shanghai has established "Excellent Historical Buildings" since 1989, and conservation began to 3

arouse public attention. The Measures for the Preservation and Management of Shanghai Excellent Modern Heritage promulgated in 1991 was the first local regulation in Shanghai to preserve important historical buildings. It determined the value standard of assessing historical buildings includes historical, artistic, and scientific values. The Measures stipulate the scope of historical areas and buffer zones, and put forward basic requirements of conservation, providing opportunities for future transformation and reuse.

Shanghai Municipal government approved the Regulations of Shanghai on the Preservation of Historic Buildings and Areas in 2004, which means that the focus of urban renewal has shifted to the planning and management of Shanghai historical buildings and areas. In the same year, the then mayor of Shanghai proposed that "new construction is a type of development; conservation and renovation are also contributes to developing. 1" Subsequently, at the municipal meeting in the second year, it was emphasized that "Shanghai must implement the strictest conservation strategy." The cases to be mentioned below, Yuyuan Tourist Mart (early 1990s) and Xintiandi Plaza (late 1990s), were transformed before these. At that time, the relevant laws and regulations were very imperfect, and the level of design and construction was not mature enough.

Since the 2000s, large-scale demolition and new construction projects have been significantly reduced year by year. More topics of daily discussion have changed from new towns or new complexes to the built environment and urban micro-renewal. Dynamic and continuous conservation and transformation are gradually widely accepted, such as the renewal of Tianzifang in Shanghai which have lasted for more than two decades. In other words, Singapore and Shanghai have both entered the post-development era.

In 2015, the authorities released the Measures for the Implementation of Urban Renewal in Shanghai, which means that urban renewal will become the main way of sustainable development of the city under the premise of "zero growth" or even "negative growth" of planned land use in Shanghai 2.

At present, the urban development strategies of Singapore and Shanghai are transforming from the past government-led and market-oriented period to the people-based period, which pays more attention to people’s daily life and the quality of public spaces.

Table 1 summarizes the three general stages of urban development and renewal in Singapore and Shanghai in recent decades.

Table 1: Stages and Characteristics of Urban Development and Renewal in Singapore and Shanghai 1

Chen Xia, “The Inheritance and Development: The Research of the Conservation and Adaptation of Historical

Architecture in Shanghai”, Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture, Tongji University, 2007 Ding Fan, Wu Jiang, “The Evolution of Shanghai's Urban Renewal and Cultural Turn in New Era”, 2018 4

2

Period

Objectives

Typical Policies

Representative

and Strategies

Projects

in urban areas

Amendments to

Construction of

Late

and meet the

the Planning

HDB flats;

1960s to

needs of public

Act; Master Plan

Marina Bay

mid-1980s

service spaces.

Rules

Reclamation

Clean up slums

The First Stage:

Singapore

Rapid

Project

Development Period Shanghai

Improve living

Measures for

Development

1980s to

conditions and

the Preservation

of Pudong

late 1990s

achieve

and

District

economic

Management of

growth.

Shanghai Excellent Modern Heritage

Singapore

Preservation of

Late

Preserve

1980s to

historic areas

Conservation

Chinatown,

late 1990s

and improve

Master Plan

Little India and so on.

The Second

the quality of

Stage:

urban spaces.

Diversified

Preservation of

Regulations of

Development

Late

cultural sites

Shanghai on the

Tianzifang

Period

1990s to

and

Preservation of

Renewal

early

transformation

Historical

Project

2010s

of industrial

Buildings and

areas

Areas

Shanghai

“Hello

Improve various

Amendments to

Neighbor;”

2000s to

systems and

the Planning

“Remaking Our

present

achieve

Act; Town

Heartland.”

The Third Stage:

sustainable

Design Guide

People-based

development

Period

Regenerate

Singapore

Shanghai

Community

waterfront

Shanghai Urban

Gardens

2010s to

industrial area

Renewal

Project by

present

and focus on

Implementation

Clover Nature

community

Measures

School

micro-renewal

Historical buildings are indispensable and valuable cultural resources in the city, and conservation is an important way to promote the comprehensive sustainable development of the city. The city is a coordinated whole, and one of the goals of the preservation and reuse of historic blocks is to seek the overall coordinated development of urban functions.

5

As international metropolises, Singapore and Shanghai are under great pressure for urban development, and the conserved areas in the downtown are relatively large. Therefore, apart from the national monuments and a few buildings with significant historical value, a considerable part of historical buildings need to be given new functions, namely adaptive reuse.

Table 2 summarizes the typical conservation projects in Singapore and Shanghai in recent decades.

Table 2: Typical Conservation Projects in Singapore and Shanghai Singapore

Shanghai

Period

Project

Type

Project

Type

1980s

Tanjong Pagar (1986)

Restoration

St. Ignatius Cathedral

Restoration

Project

of Shanghai

Projects

Bugis Junction (1990-

Transformation of

Yu Garden Tourist

Transformation

1995)

Shophouses

Mart (1991-1994)

of Historical Area

Clarke Quay (1993) 1990s

Transformation of

East Nanjing Road

Transformation

Shophouses

Renewal (1995-1999)

of Historical Area

Far East Square

Transformation of

Xintiandi Square

Transformation

(1995-1998)

Shophouses

(1999-2001)

of Historical Area

Former Fort Factory

Adaptive Reuse of

M50 Moganshan

Adaptive Reuse

(2006)

Industrial

Road (2000)

of Industrial Heritage

Heritage 2000s

Old St Andrew's

Preservation of

Wukang Road

Commercial

School (2005)

Historical

Renewal (2007)

Street Regeneration

Buildings The Warehouse Hotel

Adaptive Reuse of

Long Museum West

Adaptive Reuse

(2014)

Industrial

Bund (2014)

of Industrial Heritage

Heritage 2010s

Civil Service Club at

Transformation of

West Guizhou Lilong

Community

Changi (2014)

Colonial Buildings

(2017)

Micro Renewal

1.2 Objectives The aim of this dissertation is to study the strategies, methods, and typical cases of urban conservation and adaptive reuse in Singapore and Shanghai in the early exploration stage, mature stage and present transition stage.

The broad goal is to study the reasons behind development and changes, short-term and long-term results brought about by different strategies. In the current critical period of transition, try to summarize existing problems and put forward potential development directions.

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1.3 Methodology Literature study on the policies, strategies and their background and reasons of different stages.

A study on the role of policies and their impact on actual projects.

Investigate the study areas by recording the current situation of the areas, including the business types in the areas, relationship with their surrounding regions and users’ attitudes.

Comparing the differences of the strategies and cases in the two cities and come to a certain kind of conclusion.

Chapter 2: Early Explorations: Conservation Submerged Under Urban Development 2.1 Historical Background This chapter will use two adaptive reuse cases in Singapore and Shanghai in the early 1990s. In this period, the reuse of historical buildings in these two cities was in the early exploration stage.

2.1.1 Strategies and Policies of Urban Conservation in Singapore Singapore's Concept Plan in 1971 first proposed the content about urban conservation, which mentioned that planners wanted to emphasize the “Asian identity” of Singapore an identity through planning. However, in fact, the urban conservation strategy was not really implemented until the 1980s. Before that, the conservation work in Singapore was basically limited to the confirmation and evaluation of individual historic buildings by the Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB).

In the early days of Singapore's independence, the government's effort was devoted to demolishing slums in the city center and building new public housing to disperse the residents who originally lived in the downtown to other areas. At the end of 1986, 86% of the population lived in public housing units, and the housing pressure had been greatly alleviated. In the same year, URA released the conservation master plan, which defined seven historical conserved areas, and formulated detailed preservation standards and methods for more than 3000 historical buildings in the conserved areas. In the following year, URA organized a series of model projects for the preservation of historical shophouses in Tanjong Pagar to show the methods and feasibility of conservation. At the same time, there were also a series of policies to encourage private owners to participate in the conservation plan.

Meanwhile, by the early 1980s, Singapore's economic level and urbanization level had risen rapidly.

However, the subsequent economic recession brought new challenges to the Singapore 7

government. In 1983, tourism, the fourth largest industry in Singapore, declined for the first time since 1965. In addition, the Marina Bay land reclamation project in the city center was also completed in the early 1980s, which reduced the land pressure for urban development to a certain extent.

In November 1987, a more powerful transportation system, the MRT system, came into operation, the connection between the central area and the residential area was strengthened, and the commuting problem of citizens was also improved.

In response to the above issues, the authorities began to change the strategy of urban development, slowing down the speed of expansion, and gradually transitioned from the simple "demolition of the old and building new" to a strategy that paid more attention to history and culture.

In 1989, 10 historical areas such as Chinatown and Little India were officially defined as conserved areas, accounting for 4% of the central area of Singapore. As a result, people's views on historic buildings have begun to change, and they no longer thought that shophouses mean slums. Then, in the early 1990s, Singapore began to explore the combination of old and new and adaptive reuse of historical buildings, trying to give new functions that meet the needs of urban development to the historic buildings. The 1991 Concept Plan proposed that while ensuring economic competitiveness, Singapore should also improve the quality and characteristics of the city. The Ministry of Information and Arts (MITA) emphasized that Singapore should create a beneficial environment for economic prosperity, and Bugis was designated as one of the potential places to create a creative environment 3.

Nevertheless, at this stage, Singapore still did not get rid of the idea that urban development is a priority than conservation.

2.1.2 Strategies and Policies of Urban Conservation in Shanghai In 1986, Shanghai was listed as the second batch of National Historical and Cultural Cities in China.

In the 1990s, with the rapid expansion of Shanghai urban area, the conservation of urban features began to sprout in the central urban area. In 1990, in order to attract investment in Pudong New Area, the authorities held the first Shanghai Tourism Festival. At the same time, China was also calling for cultivating tourism into a new economic growth point. From the early 1990s to the early 2000s, the tourism industry in Shanghai had been developing rapidly.

Under this background, Shanghai authorities began to pay attention to the preservation of history and culture. In 1991, Shanghai Historical and Cultural City Preservation Plan was released. However, the preservation at this stage is rough and fast in pursuit of maximum benefits, which may be influenced by the large-scale demolition and construction at the same time. Unlike Singapore, which had basically solved the housing problem in this period, the focus of Shanghai's urban Wei Juanjuan, “The Blending of Old and New as a Development Strategy”, National University of Singapore, 2006 8

3

renewal at that time was still on slum cleaning and urban expansion.

2.2 Case Study: Bugis Junction (1991-1995) 2.2.1 Basic Information and Characteristics Bugis Junction is an integrated development located at Victoria Street, Middle Road and North Bridge Road in Bugis, Downtown Core in Singapore 4.

In the 1970s, Bugis was one of the most popular attractions in Singapore. At that time, Bugis was a night activity center for transvestites, gamblers, and so on. There were many small businesses such as bars. Then, in the late 1970s, the land was acquired by the government and planned for commercial and residential use. Then, in the 1980s, the MRT site was determined just below the plot, and the value and significance of the plot were greatly improved.

Bugis Junction was divided into three plots. Unlike the well-preserved shophouses in Bugis Village, the historical buildings here were in very bad condition. URA decided to restore only part of the shophouses, and most of them were located in plot B, and a few are located in plot A. The old houses on the C plot were demolished due to the construction of the subway station.

2.2.2 Process and Methods The developer, Bugis City Holdings (BCH), planned to reuse these historic buildings to transform this place into a comprehensive project integrating a hotel, a shopping mall and an office building.

The design team decided to build brand-new hotels and office buildings in plot A and plot C respectively. Plot B that needed to preserve most historical buildings, would be adaptive reuse for a shopping mall.

Figure 1: Plots division and existing shophouses on Bugis Junction in 1990 Information from Wei Juanjuan, redrawn by the author 4

Information from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugis_Junction 9

Figure 2: Malabar Street in Bugis (1980s), now it is a “indoor street” in Bugis Junction Source from: National Archives of Singapore

At first, the developer was asked to keep the original layout of this area and restore the historical buildings on the Malay, Malabar, and Hylam Streets.

However, the foundation of the original shophouses hindered the construction of the large underground parking lot in the design scheme. In order to save budget, the design team proposed to demolish the original shophouses firstly, then rebuild the shophouses in their original location after completing the construction of a new foundation and underground parking lot. After several negotiations, URA finally approved this design scheme.

Figure 3: Bugis Junction was under construction.

The original shophouses had been demolished in 1991.

Source from National Archives of Singapore; edited by the author

10

After the foundation work was completed, those shophouses were reconstructed according to the documented records, and the facades and details were restored to their original appearances as much as possible. The new part of the shopping mall was built in a modern way, without deliberately imitating the restored shophouses, and the old and new parts of the building are clearly distinguished. The historic district was transformed into a closed corridor-style shopping mall. A new glass roof unites the shophouses on both sides of the street into a single indoor environment, becoming Singapore's first glass-covered air-conditioned shopping center. These streets are called “indoor streets”.

However, although Bugis Junction is considered as a combination of the old and new project, in fact, the old part was demolished at the beginning of the project. Moreover, they did not use the original materials to rebuild the shophouses, and the original interior was not restored because of the needs of the shopping mall. Until now, many people still think that the shophouses of Bugis Junction are essentially empty shells.

Because the area of shophouses is small and the internal dining area is limited, it is very common for customers to eat outdoors. At the same time, because of the frequent bad weather in Singapore and the experience from Bugis Village 5, the developer thought that large commercial places need air conditioning and shelters. However, there will be more and more modern shopping places, but the demolished historical buildings cannot be restored.

Figure 4: Malay Street looking towards Victoria Street in the 1980s Source from National Archives of Singapore

5

Bugis Village was transformed into an open street without shelters. When it rained, customers rushed to the

corridors of the shop-houses for shelter, with many leaving the meals unfinished.

11

Figure 5: Malay Street looking towards Victoria Street in 2021

2.2 Case Study: Yu Garden Tourist Mart (1991-1994) Yu Garden Tourist Mart is close to Yu Garden and Chenghuang Temple, located in the Chengxiang conserved zone and in the center of Huangpu District. Founded in 1559, Yu Garden is a national monument of China; at its peak, Yu Garden covered an area of more than 70 acres, including the present Yu Garden Tourist Mart.

The integration of the temple, garden and mart is the characteristic of this area since the end of the 18th century. Before the transformation in the early 1990s, it was a very prosperous grocery market. In addition to domestic and foreign tourists, locals also often come here to purchase groceries such as cloth, cakes, tea, etc. The teahouse in Mid- Lake Pavilion was often overcrowded.

12

Figure 6: Location of Yu Garden Tourist Mart

From 1991 to 1994, referring to photos at beginning of the 20th century, the developer reconstructed and expanded the historic area in the southwest to the Yu Garden, forming the basic pattern of the current Yu Garden Tourist Mart. The layout of the newly built antique-style buildings uses a combination of commercial streets and leisure squares to show the atmosphere of a traditional street market. The reconstruction project of Yu Garden is a typical project of demolishing old buildings and constructing a commercial complex of antique-style buildings.

Figure 7,8: Yu Garden Mart in 1980s Source from: getty images (left) Archives of Huangpu District (right) 13

Figure 9: Crowd in Yu Garden Mart in the 1980s Source from: getty images

Figure 10,11: Yu Garden Tourist Mart in 2019 Source from: Shanghai Huangpu (WeChat Platform)

2.4 Comparison and Discussion 2.4.1 General Review Table 3: Comparison of Regeneration between Bugis Junction and Yu Garden Tourist Mart Construction Period

Bugis Junction

Yu Garden Tourist Mart

1991 to 1995

1991 to 1994

14

Location

Located in the city center, the MRT

Located in the city center, near the

Station is just under the site.

subway station. Next to the Yu Garden, a national monument.

Conservation

Demolished the old shophouses

Demolished the historic buildings

Methods

and rebuilt them

and built “ancient style buildings”

Conserved Buildings

55 shophouses (reconstruction)

3 historic buildings (restoration)

Function before

A night activity center for

Shopping mart

Transformation

transvestites, etc.

Function After

Integrated Shopping Mall

Tourist Mart

Transformation

These two projects are typical cases of demolishing original historical buildings and building new historical-style buildings in Singapore and Shanghai during the early exploration period of urban conservation. Among them, the Yu Garden Tourist Mart did not rebuild the original modern historical building as their original appearances but built completely different buildings in Ming and Qing style. While the developer of Bugis Junction rebuilt the appearance of 55 shophouses according to the documentation, the materials and internal layout used were completely different from the past. The original shophouses in the Bugis Junction were made of brick and wood, while Singapore is wet and rainy all year round. It can be imagined that the main structural components of the building were seriously affected by moisture, and the weathering of wall tiles was also very serious. Therefore, before demolishing the original shophouses, if there is no detailed and feasible reconstruction plan, it is inevitable that the original materials will be abandoned, and new materials will be used for reconstruction. Although it is very unreasonable to demolish the original shophouses and then rebuild the "fake" historic buildings from the present perspective, at that time, the design team provided several options in order to preserve the authenticity of this area as much as possible, instead of simply demolishing it.

In fact, conventional architectural knowledge, such as "cleanness, integrity, and harmony", should not be applied to historical buildings directly and totally. Compared with these factors, the authenticity of historical buildings is more important. However, at this stage, these two cities are still pursuing the "conservation" strategy of "good imitations” that are mistakable for the real thing.

Both cities used huge sacrifices, namely the disappearance of the historic district, in exchange for the commercial success of the region, and the success may not be sustainable.

In the two cities, the recognition and understanding of architectural heritage has gone through a slow process. During this process, 30 million square meters of buildings in Shanghai were demolished, including outstanding landmark buildings and buildings designed by famous architects 6.

Although there are many problems and controversies, in the early 1990s, these two cases still played an early guiding role in the conservation and exploration of new utilization modes of local historical areas, which aroused extensive discussion on the transformation and adaptive reuse Zheng Shiling, “Urban Renewal and Conservation in Shanghai”, Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2017, 32(07) 15

6

methods of historical buildings.

2.4.2 Changes of Regional Master Layout and Details The entrance square and atrium of Bugis Junction shopping mall have replaced the traditional small streets and five-foot lanes in the past, and shophouses have also been transformed into unified stores on both sides of the indoor atrium. In fact, for traditional markets, stores and stalls do not only develop along the main road. Shops are distributed in small lanes in a certain small area, which is closer to a grid layout.

The original Bugis business district was naturally formed and diverse, but now it is just a unified shopping center. In the past, how to use the site was decided by the residents and merchants who were the “insiders” of this area, and the activities happening in this area were full of diversity and uncertainty. Nowadays, its function is very fixed, without the various spontaneous public street activities. This problem also exists in Far East Square, which will be mentioned below. Developers only pay attention to the characteristics of shophouses as single buildings and their decoration elements, ignoring the attraction of the atmosphere and environment of historical blocks as a whole.

It can be clearly seen from the plans (Figure 12, 13) before and after the transformation that the fabric and layout of plot B have been basically restored. However, in traditional Shophouses neighborhoods, the back lane between two rows of back-to-back shophouses is generally used for fire escape and drainage, so the lack lane is often very narrow and the backdoors are very small (Figure 14). However, because the original narrow shophouse units are not suitable for modern shopping malls, the first floor of some shophouses was divided into two shops; some shophouse units’ front and back walls were changed into glasses; some shophouses were merged into a large space to meet the modern sales demand. The individual buildings, interior, original street layout and traffic organization of the district are completely different from the original (Figure 15).

Figure 12: Original Bugis Junction in the 1980s Source from Wei Juanjuan, redrawn by the author 16

Figure 13: Current Bugis Junction (2021) Information from Mall Xplorer, Redrawn by the author

Figure 14: An example section of typical shophouse district

Figure 15: Changes of the interior layout of shophouses in Bugis Junction

17

Figure 16, 17: Plans of Yu Garden Area before and after Regeneration Source from Archives of Huangpu District, edited by the author (left) Drawn by the author (right)

In contrast to the maps (Figure 16, 17) before and after the transformation, except for old Yuyuan Road and Ninghui Road, the layout of this area was basically completely changed. The large-scale antique-style buildings built this time are at the cost of relocating more than 1000 households, including excellent modern historical buildings. At present, there are only three real historical buildings left in the Yu Garden Tourist Mart, all located on old Yuyuan road. The buildings on both sides of Yu Garden are also the only areas where the city's fabric remains unchanged.

Figure 18: Billboards on the antique-style building Source from DC International; Edited by the author 18

Initially, the authorities and developers renovated the Yu Garden Tourist Mart to make use of the excellent cultural resources of the Chenghuang Temple and Yu Garden, building new dining and shopping areas and other related supporting facilities to develop Shanghai's tourism industry.

Moreover, because the regulations on the decoration of individual shops are not very clear, some issues in Figure 18 appear. Modern billboards and buildings are not suitable. But now, visitors will enter Yu Garden from the disorderly Yu Garden shopping mall, Yu Garden seems to be a subsidiary part of the shopping area (Figure 19).

Figure 19: The ways from urban roads to Yu Garden

2.4.3 Current situation of commerce Table 4: Comparison of Store Types and Quantities in Bugis Junction and Yu Garden Tourist Mart Types

Bugis Junction

Yu Garden Tourist Mart

1

Restaurants

27 (11.6%)

21 (7.1%)

2

Dessert Shops

8 (3.4%)

26 (8.9%)

3

Café and Teahouse

5 (2.1%)

15 (5.2%)

4

Fast Food and Snack Bars

34 (14.6%)

58 (19.7%)

5

Home Accessories Shops

7 (3.0%)

12 (4.1%)

Total Amount of F＆B

81 (34.8%)

132 (44.9%)

6

Clothes & Accessories

68 (29.2%)

90 (30.6%)

7

Jewelry Shops

14 (6.0%)

36 (12.2%)

8

Beauty & Wellness Shops

26 (11.2%)

8 (2.7%)

9

Books & Stationery

4 (1.7%)

5 (1.7%)

19

10

Grocery Shops

2 (0.9%)

15 (5.1%)

11

Services

12 (5.2%)

5 (1.7%)

12

Electronic & Technology

17 (7.3%)

3 (1.0%)

13

Entertainment Shops

3 (1.3%)

None

14

Other Brand Shops

5 (2.1%)

None

15

Supermarket

1 (0.4%)

None

Total

233

294

It is worth mentioning that although there are a large number of clothes stores and jewelry stores in these two shopping areas, the target guests of these stores in Yu Garden Tourist Mart are mainly tourists, and what they sell are the products related to tourist souvenirs, rather than brand products in integrated shopping malls. Bugis Junction is an ordinary shopping mall for Singaporeans.

It can be clearly seen from Table 4 that the proportion of service shops and brand shops in Bugis Junction is obviously higher than that in Yu Garden Tourist Mart, and the types of shops are more varied.

After the renovation, this place is dominated by restaurants and shops selling tourist souvenirs, rather than a diversified grocery market in the past. The target customer group is tourists, and most of the local residents avoid going there because of the bad traffic and serious congestion.

From a commercial point of view, the transformation of Bugis Junction is successful. Before this project, there were a large number of office buildings surrounding Bugis. The location of the MRT station and the opening of a shopping complex successfully attracted more people and promoted the economic development of the region.

As for Yu Garden Tourist Mart, according to the data from Dianping 7 , in 2018, the per capita consumption of Yu Garden Tourist Mart was 64 yuan/shop (equivalent to 13 SGD), far lower than that of the other two historical districts in Shanghai, namely Tianzifang, which was 145 yuan/shop (equivalent to 29 SGD), and Xintiandi Plaza, which was 329 yuan (equivalent to 66 SGD). This may be because Yu Garden Tourist Mart has been built for the longest time, and most shops still only sell traditional tourism souvenirs, lacking distinctive brand stores. In contrast, in recent years, some shops based on local culture and brand pop-up shops have gradually appeared in the other two historic districts, which can attract more young people to shop here.

2.4.4 Findings In the early period of exploration on adaptive reuse, the authorities in Singapore and Shanghai have realized the importance of some urban protection and have taken some actions. However, during this period, people's understanding of conservation still remained that conservation is a complement to development, in other words, conservation is for development.

7

A Chinese shopping platform for locally found consumer products and retail services including entertainment,

dining, delivery, travel, and other services.

20

These two projects are the early attempts to stimulate consumption based on historical buildings and local culture. This is also the beginning of a combination of historical area conservation and commercial development. Although at that time, conservation was inserted into the commercial project and became a part of the commercial project. This also shows that the authorities and developers have realized the potential of historical buildings, which have a very positive effect on urban identity and promotion of consumption, as well as the development of tourism. But when conservation was inserted into commercial development projects, both conservation and commercial aspects should be considered carefully 8.

Moreover, unlike Far East Square and Xintiandi Square which were residential areas before, Bugis Junction and Yu Garden Tourist Mart were famous commercial districts with local characteristics before renovation. Bugis area had different dominant formats at different times of the day. There were many breakfast stalls in the morning, and night entertainment places in the evening were once very popular. Before the renovation, Yu Garden Tourist Mart was also a very prosperous comprehensive business district with a street mart and indoor shopping malls. The regeneration completely abandons the original prosperity and loses the original users and consumers.

At this stage, the renovation projects were completely top-down in the two cities. The authorities and developers did not listen to the opinions of the public. At that time, there were many opinions against these two renovation projects, but they were still updated as planned.

Chapter 3: Moving Towards Maturity: Finding a Balance Between Conservation and Development 3.1 Historical Background 3.1.1 General Introduction Before this stage, the core part of the first period of urban development in Singapore and Shanghai was residential buildings and supporting facilities, and excellent results were achieved. For example, Singapore established the Housing Development Board (HDB) in 1960, which was dedicated to solving the severe housing problem in the early days of independence. Within a decade, 34.6% of the population had moved into new public housing 9.

In these two cities, the first stage of urban development is expansion, aiming to solve basic people's living problems as soon as possible. However, the attention paid to historical buildings and areas in the first stage was not enough. In addition to listing some important landmark buildings on the National Monuments List, there are few attempts to find new ways of conservation, combining the old and new. But conservation in this period was submerged under stressful and rapid urban Wei Juanjuan, “The Blending of Old and New as a Development Strategy”, National University of Singapore, 2006 9 Wang Caiqiang, Sha Yongjie, Weijuanjuan, “An Introduction to Urban Planning and Development of Singapore”, 2012 21 8

development.

After the living problem was initially solved, Singapore and Shanghai then entered the second stage, trying to find a balance between urban development and conservation. At this stage, the influence of private institutions increased, the market gradually took up to the dominant position, and the government mainly played a guiding role. This also laid the foundation for the diversified development of urban conservation projects.

3.1.2 Strategies, and Policies of Urban Conservation in Singapore By the mid-1990s, Singapore ranked fourth in the foreign exchange market and became one of the international financial centers after London, New York, and Tokyo. Singapore was facing the challenge of rapid globalization. During this period, it was very important to optimize the structure of the central city and enhance the vitality of the central city for improving the competitiveness of the city.

In 1994, URA and NHB jointly held the Exhibition on our build heritage, the theme of which was “a public-private private partnership in conservation.” The exhibition showed how the government, developers and other organizations have worked together to complete successful conservation projects through joint efforts, revitalizing the vitality of historical buildings and creating new business opportunities 10.

In the late 1990s, after more than 10 years of development, Singapore's urban conservation entered a period of "improving quality". The government's requirements for the conserved areas had been further improved, and there are systematic guidelines for parking areas and sidewalks in historical areas. At the same time, Singapore began to explore innovative conservation methods to reuse some historic buildings. Far East Square is an adaptive reuse project which combines the old and the new in this period.

3.1.3 Strategies, and Policies of Urban Conservation in Shanghai In the last stage, namely the early stage of China's reform and opening, the primary goal of Shanghai's urban renewal was to improve the living conditions of citizens. Dangerous houses and slums in Yangpu district and Putuo district were demolished, and new residential apartments were built. The development of the Pudong New Area in the 1990s is a microcosm of Shanghai's unprecedented urban expansion. At the same time, the Regulations of Shanghai on the Preservation of Historical Buildings and Area issued in 1991 also means that the Shanghai government has begun to attach importance to the preservation of historical features in urban renewal.

10

Ning Yajing, “Urban conservation and practice in the process of urban renewal in Singapore”, China Urban

Planning Annual Conference, 2012 22

The Master Plan of Shanghai Central District compiled in 1999 designated 234 conserved blocks, marking that Shanghai's urban expansion and urban renewal showed a stage of parallel and common development 11. The content of urban renewal was gradually enriched, and new strategies, renewal types and modes began to appear. For example, People's Square was originally positioned as a single administrative center in the 1983 plan. After the subsequent revisions of the plan, it has become a multi-functional complex area for administration, culture, and commerce in the 1996 revised plan, and the preservation of surrounding historical buildings and areas had also been paid attention to.

Tianzifang and Xintiandi Square are typical projects of Shanghai's continuous and progressive development mode at this stage.

3.2 Case Study: Far East Square in Singapore (1996-1999) 3.2.1 Basic Information and Characteristics of Far East Square Far east square is one of the seven parcels of China Square, located between Chinatown conserved area and Singapore CBD area. It is one of the earliest urbanized areas in Singapore. It used to be a concentrated settlement of Chinese people in the past. Before Singapore's independence, it was famous for its traditional food and trade. Later, due to the deterioration of living conditions and the dilapidated building, the original residents gradually moved out between the late 1950s to early 1980s 12.

Figure 20: The junction of Peking Street and Teloy Ayer Street (1960s) Source from: National Archives of Singapore

11 Su Su, “Study on the development process of urban renewal in Shanghai”, China Urban Planning Annual Conference, 2017 12 Wei Juanjuan, “The Blending of Old and New as a Development Strategy”, National University of Singapore, 2006 23

Figure 21: Street Market in Far East Square (1960s) Source from: National Archives of Singapore

Early immigrants came from Fujian, China, and they engaged in traditional trade and services in China Square. Therefore, the layout here was also very similar to the traditional Chinese settlements, that is, with the family ancestral hall as the core and the shophouses surrounding the model.

Subsequently, in the 1980s, the development of Singapore’s CBD was basically completed, and the Chinatown Conservation Area was established, and the development of China Square was imminent. At this time, URA conducted a research on the urban design framework, proposed selective preservation and reuse of shophouses, and determined and created the overall concept of a characteristic public activity centre, but did not propose a specific urban renewal plan. Then, the detailed urban planning of China Square was completed in 1994, and the division of 7 parcels was determined. Before the parcels were sold, URA prepared detailed design guidelines based on the overall control plan.

3.2.2 Process, Methods, and Preliminary results of the Project The developer hoped that Parcel C, later the Far East Plaza, could become one of the most attractive commercial spaces in Singapore. Because developers want to add some unique elements to Parcel C, they decided to adopt a combination of modern and traditional architectural style.

They combined old shophouses with modern materials and technology to build a public square with a glass roof. Because this design strategy violated the guidelines originally formulated by URA, the developer needed to ask the authorities for permission, resulting in a 12-month delay in the development process.

24

The design team studied a large number of similar projects in Singapore and abroad to refine the conservation criteria and methods of China Square. For example, they used the successful pedestrian commercial district and outdoor dining area of Boat Quay as a reference for the pedestrian commercial district of China Square.

Most of the shophouses on Parcel C face the interior of the site rather than the city. The glass roof connects the shophouses on both sides, and the original middle road is changed into a pedestrian street (Figure 22). The first floor of Shophouses is used for commercial purposes, mainly catering and retail, and the eating and presenting areas are partially extended to the central pedestrian street, which increases the vitality of the public space. The upper floors are connected by corridors and used as offices. Different from the traditional "repair the old as before", the newly added roof and corridors are clearly distinguished from the old shophouses, with a sharp contrast between the old and the new.

Far East Square has become a transitional area between the Chinatown conserved area and the CBD of Singapore. The catering industry in the pedestrian street is active during the day, and people working in the nearby office buildings come to eat here. At night, the outer bar street is active, and many young people relax here (Figure 23).

Figure 22: The Glass Roof of Far East Square

25

Figure 23: The bars of Far East Square at night (2021)

3.3 Case Study: Xintiandi Square in Shanghai (1997-2001) 3.3.1 Basic Information and Characteristics of Xintiandi Square Xintiandi Square is located in the center of Shanghai, on the south side of the Huaihai Road business district. It is part of the Taipingqiao old town renewal project. Most of the historic buildings in Xintiandi Square were built from the 1910s to the 1920s, and they are typical Shanghai Shikumen 13 buildings. At that time, this area belonged to the French Concession.

Before the renovation, this area was a typical Shanghai Lilong residential area. Lilong refers to a residential community model based on small streets and communities in a certain area of the city, similar to the “Hutongs” in Beijing. Influenced by the British townhouses, while adapting to the needs of modern social life, the Lilong residence still follows the traditional Chinese "front shopback house and downstairs store-upstairs residence" internal space model 14 . This communitybased business model was once the most important business mode in modern Shanghai.

Xingye Road divides Xintiandi Square into north and south parts. The site of the first congress of the Communist Party of China is located on Xingye Road, which was listed as a national monument in 1961. Because of this national monument, the area where Xintiandi Square is located is listed as "Sinan Road Historic Feature Preservation Area". The purpose of setting the historic feature Shikumen is the main form of folk houses in modern Shanghai. It first appeared in 1960. It is a combination of traditional Chinese residential buildings in the south of the Yangtze River and British townhouse buildings. This kind of building is named because the door is made of stone.

14 Xiang Zhou, Yanbo Li, Yuning Cheng, “Neighborhood, community and consumption: Study on the socio-spatial structure during two boosting epochs in Shanghai”, 2020 26 13

preservation area is to prevent national monuments or other important historical buildings from being in an uncoordinated surrounding environment after urban renewal. Therefore, a historic feature preservation area is designated around them to preserve their original environment. For this reason, Xintiandi Square’s development has been strictly controlled.

Figure 24, 25: Photos of a branch lane before and after regeneration of Xintiandi Square Source from: Official website of Xintiandi

3.3.2 Process, Methods, and Preliminary results of the Project The adaptive reuse of the original buildings is mainly concentrated in the north part of Xintiandi Square. The most distinctive exterior surfaces of the Shikumen buildings, such as stone doors, brick walls and roof tiles, are retained, while the original living space inside has been completely demolished and converted into cafes, restaurants, specialty stores and other functions.

After some seriously damaged buildings in the middle of the area were demolished, space was left for widening the main pedestrian street in the middle of the area. The surrounding areas are connected by small rest squares and branch pedestrian streets, which guide the visitors from the main pedestrian street to the surrounding buildings, forming a layout where the outside is enclosed, and the inside is open.

At that time, there was very little information available for reference. The project team was not sure about the result of the renovation plan. As a result, the team decided to build a model house on the north side of the site, discussing the conservation methods and presenting the effect of the renovation.

27

The project team used the following three developmental protection modes. Firstly, basically retain and strengthen the structure. Second, retain the exterior walls and roof, and the interior was demolished and reconstructed. The last one was to basically demolish and retain only the characteristic elements such as gates. A total of 140,000 old bricks were removed from these Shikumen buildings, and these old bricks were subsequently processed and used as building materials 15.

The newly built part in Xintiandi Square no longer follows the past antique-style or retro-styles, but boldly adopt modernist design ideas. The new and old buildings are in sharp contrast in Xintiandi Square. Before the renovation, there were 1950 households in Xintiandi. All these residents were relocated and resettled in different places.

Although there were many shortcomings and controversies in the transformation project of Xintiandi Square, it still was a milestone at that time. The “Xintiandi mode” played a role in exploring and demonstrating subsequent projects like Tianzifang and other neighborhoods. In fact, before the Xintiandi regeneration project, there were basic two types of treating historical buildings. One was to restore or rebuild the historical buildings as their original appearances, and the other was to completely demolish them. Xintiandi's renovation project is an attempt to find a balance between the two existing methods. It is the first adaptive reuse project in China to retain the facade and change the internal structure and function.

Figure 26: Xintiandi Square after regeneration (2019) Source from: YIRENT

15

“Luo Kangrui: The success of Xintiandi Square benefited from the 140,000 old bricks from Shikumen

Buildings”, 10 Oct 2018, The Paper 28

3.4 Comparison and Discussion 3.4.1 General Review Table 5: Comparison of Regeneration between Far East Square and Xintiandi Square Construction Period Location

Far East Square

Xintiandi Square

1996 to 1999

1999 to 2001

Located in the city center, near the

Located in the city center, near the

Telok Ayer MRT Station, opposite

subway station. A national

the plot is Chinatown conserved

monument is in the plot.

area.

Conservation

The shophouses were completely

Some buildings were preserved, and

Methods

preserved and a new glass roof was

some buildings were rebuilt with old

built.

materials.

Conserved buildings

61 shophouses

Function before

Residential Buildings mainly.

Transformation

The first floor of some buildings was used as shops.

Function After

Commercial Plaza (the first floor)

Transformation

Offices (the upper floors)

Commercial Plaza

The two projects have very similar environmental and objective conditions. It was very successful at that time. The two regeneration projects achieved the following: 1. combine the old historic buildings with the new material and method, introduce new business forms, and increase regional vitality.

2. Then, consider short-term and long-term economic benefits and gradually develop.

3. Consider the relationship between the region and the surrounding environment Another progress worth mentioning is that people's voices were beginning to be heard. Although they are still top-town projects, the authorities began to think about the opinions of the public, and the shophouses in Far East Square can be basically preserved as they were, and the voice of the public cannot be ignored. Similarly, in the renovation of Xintiandi Square, the residents from the nearby Shikumen community also put forward some opinions on the project.

However, at the same time, there are also some controversies in these two projects. For example, Complete change of original function, street types, and their original community. The historical blocks in the past reflect the flexible lifestyles and social styles of high-density residential areas.

Both of these two areas were originally used as residential areas with close neighborhood relations.

Urban renewal is not only a reshaping of public spaces but also changes in social relations. In the past, it was common for more than a dozen poor families to be crowded in a shophouse or a Shikumen building, but now they were transformed into high-end consumption places.

Although from a commercial point of view, these two projects are successful, they cannot provide experience for the conservation of shophouses or Shikumen buildings as residences. The success of Xintiandi Square even accelerated the demise of the surrounding Lilong community.

29

3.4.2

Changes of Regional Master Layout and Details

When used as residences, the small lanes in these two areas are highly flexible and can be used in many ways. Various and free activities and communications take place in these small lanes from time to time. After the main structure of the lanes has been changed, it is difficult for tourists to imagine the lives of these people in the past. What the historical district attracts tourists not only because of the building itself, but also curiosity about the history and the way people lived in the past.

In the Far East Square, the glass roof connects the buildings on both sides and establishes the internal main pedestrian street of the building, making the original characteristic "streets" of the old towns disappear. The updated central pedestrian street is more like an atrium inside a large public building, almost completely losing the unique street features and street activities of the old town.

Figure 27: Current Plan of Far East Square (2021)

30

Figure 28, 29: Aerial photos before and after regeneration of Xintiandi Square Source from: The Paper (left); The World Bank (right)

As for Xintiandi Square, like most traditional Chinese residences, most of the original units are facing south (except for buildings along urban roads). However, because a central square facing north-south has been added, in order to let the overall layout more organized, the orientation of some buildings was changed (Figure 28, 29).

As a traditional residential district, not only buildings but also the concept of lanes and blocks are also very important. The space and traffic patterns of Xintiandi Square have changed to a large extent, and the original tree-like structure has been changed to the main trunk structure (Figure 30, 31). After the regeneration, the widened central pedestrian street is the core part of Xintiandi Square, buildings are arranged around it. The public space is centripetal and open.

Before the regeneration, Xintiandi Square had some business houses serving residents on the outside of the area, and the interior was mainly residential buildings. The relationship among the neighbors was very close. Almost only the main lanes in the block were connected to the city road, and the other internal branch lanes are the end roads. In the past, abundant street activities, such as eating, children's games, and enjoying the coolness, mainly occurred on the branch lanes, and the main function of the main lanes was only connecting the area and the city.

31

Figure 30: Original map of Xintiandi Square before regeneration Luo Xiaowei, Xintiandi: One of the Mode of Urban Revitalization, edited by the author Figure 31: Current map of Xintiandi Square Source from: Xintiandi official WeChat platform

In the past, the traditional small lane had the functions of kitchens and dining spaces (Figure 32).

From the current perspective, it is actually a kind of informal space. This kind of narrow lane is a lane dominated by people, and there is a comfortable and intimate interaction between neighbors (Figure 33, 34). It is very common for neighbors to share daily necessities and dishes. Residents enjoy the close community life here.

Figure 32, 33: Residences in Xintiandi before regeneration Source from: Archives of Huangpu 32

Figure 34, 35: Photos of a branch lane before and after regeneration of Xintiandi Square Source from: Official website of Xintiandi

In addition, most of the original branch lanes were end lanes, and the semi-closed lanes also provided a relatively private and safe space for close neighborhood interactions. But in order to strengthen the connection between the historical district with the city and attract more passersby, the regeneration project has connected some end lanes with the urban roads (Figure 36, 37).

Figure 36, 37: Some end roads have been opened up and connected with urban roads.

Source from: official website of Xintiandi Square

In fact, after the transformation, Xintiandi Square cannot actually represent the typical Shikumen community in Shanghai. For example, in order to change the original closed-house mode, some 33

buildings use glass doors instead of the original typical black wooden doors (some buildings add a glass door in addition to the black wooden doors). In fact, the door is the most exquisite and brilliant part of the Shikumen building. The black wooden door is unobstructed and surrounded by strips of Stone, on which there are carvings of various decorations (Figure 36, 37).

Moreover, in the past, in order to improve the efficiency of land use, the branch roads between the original Shikumen buildings were very narrow. The D/H of the original lanes in Xintiandi were all less than 1, and the relationship between people and buildings and between people was close.

After the transformation, the D/H of the central street has increased by 2-4 times, and the road width of the central main road has reached 6-8 meters.

Table 7: +D/H in Far East Square and Xintiandi Square 16 Main Lane of Xintiandi

Amoy Street of Far East Square

Period

Before regeneration

After regeneration

(Remain unchanged)

D/H

0.5

1-1.5

0.9

It can be clearly seen from Figure 38; the original structure of a few branch lanes is basically preserved. The space between the two rows of the Shikumen buildings is very narrow, which also provides a comfortable space for close neighborhood interaction. This small-scale lane will also stimulate tourists' desire to explore more spaces and shops. The widened main road (Figure 39) has clearly divided the dining area on the edge sides from the passing area in the middle. The dining areas into both sides are actually occupied by individual shops, while people who are not ready to eat are more inclined to pass quickly. The current Xintiandi Square is a typical commercial street and commercial plaza layout. As the most famous renovation project of the Shikumen buildings in Shanghai, Xintiandi is a window for most foreigners to understand Shanghai's characteristic dwellings and communities. However, what they can see here is not the real Shikumen community.

Figure 38: A branch lane in Xintiandi Square (2019) Source from: Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism Figure 39: The main lane in Xintiandi Square (2019) Source from: Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism

There are mainly two-story buildings and three-story buildings on these two study areas, and the heights of different units are not the same, so H is the average value estimated by the author, which is not accurate 34

16

Figure 40: A fountain square in Xintiandi Source from: Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism

As for the Far East Square, with the addition of a glass roof in Far East Square, the original concept of traditional streets in the historical area has been weakened. Moreover, with food and beverages as the dominant position, the first floor of Far East Square is now more like a food court. The public space in the middle of the two rows of shophouses is enclosed by the dining areas of various shops and divided into several small areas. In fact, there is only one corridor in the public space. Most people will pass quickly and will not stay here. The original mixed-use street in the past was transformed into a simple indoor atrium now.

This is completely different from the vibrant streets of the past. The identity and sense of place of a place not only depend on people but buildings and streets also make a great contribution to the identity of a place. For example, the shophouses, small streets, and street hawkers in Singapore in the past are the first impressions of many people when they come to Singapore. However, these historical memories are embodied in the Far East Plaza by adding some decorative elements such as murals and statues, which appear a little abrupt against the background of a commercial street with no obvious characteristics.

35

Figure 41: Original shophouses on the Amoy Street (1980s) Source from: National Archives of Singapore Figure 42: Current shophouses on the Amoy Street (2021)

Figure 43, 44: Murals and Statues in Far East Square (2021)

3.4.3 Current situation of commerce Table 7: Comparison of Store Types and Quantities in Far East Square and Xintiandi Square Types

Far East Square

Xintiandi Square

1

Restaurants

10 (37%)

13 (26.6%)

2

Dessert Shops

3 (11.1%)

7 (14.3%)

3

Café and Bars

3 (11.1%)

8 (16.3)

4

Fast Food and Snack Bars

7 (25.9%)

1 (2%)

Total Amount of F＆B

23 (85.2%)

29 (59.2%)

5

Museums

1 (3.7%)

1 (2%)

6

Home Accessories Shops

1 (3.7%)

3 (6.1%)

7

Clothing shops

None

4 (6.8%)

8

Jewelry and Watch Shops

None

6 (12.2%)

9

Branded Pop-up shops

None

1 (2%)

10

Beauty Shops

None

4 (8.2%)

11

Grocery Shops

None

None

12

Others

2 (7.4%)

1 (2%)

Total

27

49

Table 8 counted the format types and quantities of Far East Square (2021.8) and Xintiandi Square (2021.6), as shown in the above table. Among them, Xintiandi's data only counts the north part, excluding the new shopping mall in the south part.

At first, due to the limitation of space and parking, the upper floors in Far East Square were designed as offices, while Xintiandi was basically used as a single commercial space.

36

Therefore, the main customers of Xintiandi Square are tourists and high consumer groups, with rich formats. In addition to restaurants accounting for 59.2%, beauty shops, clothing stores and other shops that can be used for people to hang out and visit also accounted for 36.7% (18). The upper floors in Far East Plaza are the offices of several small companies, so it tends to serve people who work nearby. The format of Far East Plaza is relatively simple, and restaurants occupy an absolutely dominant position, reaching 85.2%. Apart from high-end restaurants, there are also many fast food restaurants for white-collar workers to choose from.

It can be seen that customers in Xintiandi will have more options for sightseeing, and their average stay time in Xintiandi is longer than that of Far East Square. But at the same time, the disconnect between Xintiandi and nearby residents will become more serious. In 2018, the per capita consumption of Xintiandi reached 329 yuan per store (equivalent to 65 SGD), and more than 60% of the restaurants were Western food 17 . In contrast, the per capita consumption of fast food restaurants in the residential area near Xintiandi Square is generally below 40 yuan (8 SGD). In horizontal comparison, the per capita consumption of Shanghai Tianzifang, which is also a historical district renovation project, is 145 yuan per store.

At the same time, Far East Square and Xintiandi Square do not have grocery stores, repair shops and other stores that mainly serve the nearby communities. Similar situations are not uncommon.

This issue has also caused heated discussions in recent years, is the urban renewal just for the elite?

In recent years, the renewal concept for historical districts generally regards tourists as a source of vitality, and the historical center is gradually losing its residential function 18.

Located in the downtown business district, only high-yield shops can pay the increasing rent.

Therefore, shops with high consumption levels gradually replace traditional retail and snack shops with low per capita consumption to serve the surrounding residents. As a result, the consumption level here is out of touch with the residents nearby.

In recent years, there has been a gradual trend of single formats in these two places, for example, there are more and more cafes in Xintiandi and more bars in Far East Plaza. In 2018, there were still five snack and fast food stores in Xintiandi Square 19, but only one in 2021.

3.4.4 Dilemma and Future Development The essence of these two urban renewal projects is more inclined to be "commercial development" programs, focusing on the commercial opportunities brought by regenerating old historical blocks.

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Shan Ruiqi, Zhang Song, “The Vitality Assessment of Renewed Historic Built Environment and a Discussion on

Regeneration Strategies: The Cases of Tianzifang, Xintiandi, and Yuyuan Tourist Mart in Shanghai”, Urban Planning Forum, 2021(02) 18

VEGARA A, DE LAS RIVAS J L. Territorios Inteligentes[M]. ZHAO Zhenjiang, et al, translate. Beijing: China

Architecture & Building Press, 2018.

19

The data sources from Dianping.

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The success of both projects is inseparable from the perfect location and excellent development opportunities at that time. Many other similar projects have not achieved the expected results.

Due to the shortage of land resources and the limitation of construction land, the development intensity of historical blocks was still very high in the late 1990s. The fragmentations of historical blocks are hidden in the surrounding high-rise buildings, which further leads to the relocation of residents in the central area of the city and the disharmony with their surrounding features. How to deal with the contradiction between further commercial development and historical conserved area in the future is an important topic at present.

For various reasons, the original buildings around the conserved historic areas in the city center have gradually been replaced by high-rise office buildings, leading to a result that the areas are not coordinated with their surrounding features.

Figure 45: The Far East Square is located in a modern urban context Source from: Warehouse Rental Singapore

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Figure 46: The Xintiandi Square is located in a modern urban context Source from: Sina News

Figure 47: New murals in the Far East Plaza in 2020

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Figure 48: Brand pop-up store at Xintiandi Square (2020) Source from: YOHOGIRL

In order to cope with the pressure of more and more new shopping malls around, both Far East Square and Xintiandi Square have been continuously regenerated in recent years, such as the wall painting at Far East Square in last year (Figure 47) and the various pop-up stores (Figure 48) in Xintiandi every season 20.

Chapter 4: Transition Period: People-based, Coordinated Development of Urban Development and Conservation After the 21st century, especially after 2010, urban renewal in Singapore and Shanghai began to pay more attention to local residents and communities, and to the overall coordinated development of historical buildings or regions and new urban areas. The authorities began to reflect and summarize the long-term adverse effects brought by the large-scale demolition and transformation in the past and started advocating a small-scale, gradual and community-based micro-renewal approach. At the same time, the relationship between historical buildings and their surrounding environment has gradually been paid attention to. In the past renovation projects, the focus was basically only on the historical district itself, which actually caused the loss of the original environmental information.

In addition to the economic benefits that conservation projects can bring to the region, the residents' sense of identity-based on the local culture is also very important to the city. Therefore, 20

A pop-up shop is a term given to a shop or store that is deliberately temporary. It’s a store that “pops up” for a

limited period of time to achieve a particular goal.

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it is very important to determine the new functions of historical buildings, and it is not advisable to directly imitate successful projects in other regions. Only proper use will not substantially weaken the cultural significance of historical buildings in essence.

Historical buildings and modern cities are not separated. The idea of coordinated development has been widely accepted and well applied, and more people realize that urban conservation will not hinder development. The charm of the historical area lies not only in the individual buildings themselves, but also in the overall street system and suitable urban landscape, which are very important for the comprehensive development of the city. Urban historical fabric is one of the morphological characteristics of the historical district, and the interdependence of spatial elements such as streets, back lanes, and plots are the basis of the unique charm of the historical district.

For example, the conservation and reuse of waterfront industrial heritage in Shanghai after 2010 has begun to practice the combination of architectural regeneration with the urban landscape corridors and squares. In the Long Museum West Bunk, which was transformed in 2014, the outer corridor and platform of the building are connected with the urban landscape corridor of the riverside. In the Renovation of 80,000-ton silos on Minsheng Wharf in 2017, the newly added outdoor glass part also echoes the landscape corridor along the river. The unity of architecture and landscape in the Riverside Area is obviously better than that of other districts in Shanghai.

Figure 49: Connection between Long Museum and Urban Landscape Corridor Source from: Deshaus Architects; Edited by the author

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Figure 50: Renovation of 80,000-ton silos on Minsheng Wharf Source from: Deshaus Architects; Edited by the author

Figure 51: The Green Pergola of the West Guizhou Lilong Figure 52: The Community Center of the West Guizhou Lilong Source from: www.gooood.cn/

For community renewal projects, in addition to the overall renewal project, "dot type" microrenewal projects began to appear. Some pilot projects have been put into practice, such as the Hello Neighbor project in Singapore and the West Guizhou Lilong renewal in Shanghai. Microrenewal is to renovate a part of the community by regenerating public spaces, renewing facilities, and improving the functions of the areas without changing the main structure of buildings and streets.

In part of the community micro-renewal projects, the residents' ideas and suggestions become the most important position in the renovation. The design team no longer "presets" that how residents 42

should use public spaces but provides some various and free public facilities based on residents' daily life.

For example, in the renewal project of West Guizhou Lilong, the design team put several green pergolas in the lanes, and the residents use the green pergola as clothes poles, flower stands, and bulletin boards (Figure 51). The functions of public facilities are not fixed.

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Enlightenments After decades of development, the urban conservation in Singapore and Shanghai has gradually moved from the initial reconstruction and restoration under the pressure of rapid urban expansion to comprehensive and sustainable development based on the community, and the conservation methods are becoming more diversified and mature.

Singapore government departments attach great importance to research and always adjust their strategies in time. Besides, Singapore authorities attach great importance to planning, and planning awareness is deeply rooted in people's hearts. Moreover, all sectors of Singapore society respect urban planning very much and can stick to the established plan for a long time. Singapore's urban structure in 1991 basically completely realized the conceptual planning in 1971. Moreover, the division of rights and responsibilities of government departments in Singapore is very clear. In the two cases mentioned above, in the project design stage, the developer directly discussed the solutions to the problems encountered with URA and the corresponding strategy adjustment. The authorities will give timely feedback and adjust the details of the policy in time according to the problems in construction.

By contrast, in Shanghai and even in the whole of China, there are still many government departments involved in the renewal of historical districts, and the government departments' responsibilities are not clear. In addition, the government often shows obvious delay in dealing with the issue of historical buildings. It often occurs that the historical buildings have been destroyed and then the related authorities come to deal with the problems. This problem is often ended with the developers being fined. As one of the cities with the most developed economy and the richest historical and cultural resources in China, the conservation of historical buildings in Shanghai affects most cities in China. Therefore, the Shanghai authorities should be more cautious in the development and management of historical areas.

Understanding, support and participation from citizens is also very important. With the passage of time, public participation has played an increasingly important role in urban renewal and conservation of historical buildings. In recent years, the urban renewal projects of these two cities have gradually changed from a complete top-down at the beginning to a combination of top-down and bottom-up. At the same time, public participation is also conducive to raising residents' attention to local culture.

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In addition, both cities should invest more attention and money in the recording of traditional crafts and the training of craftsmen. In practical projects, the importance of conservation technology is no less than that of the design scheme. Without technology, design conception cannot be completed.

In Master Plan (2019), Singapore is considering the connection between different historical areas, forming a “corridor” between the new development areas and the renovated historical blocks. In other words, Singapore has been pursuing to show the connection and connection between historical blocks from a larger urban perspective.

The absolute authenticity of historical buildings can't be reproduced totally without their original natural and social background. The significance of conservation lies in giving it new functions and significance in the new cultural background on the basis of continuing and preserving its historical and aesthetic values as much as possible. Apart from the historical buildings themselves, conservation should also include the preservation of traditional commercial and living atmosphere.

Intangible heritage and common feelings and memories of citizens are also necessary conditions for building a city's identity and sense of belonging. When discussing "continuity" in conservation, it is not only the continuation of the physical environment, but also the continuation of lifestyle and cultural structure. These are also the objectives of the conservation that these two cities are pursuing now and future.

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Bibliography: Books Katie Cummer and Lynne D. DiStefano, “Asian Revitalization: Adaptive Reuse in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore”, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2021 Tan Su Yen, Gerald Gay, “Landmarks: 55 years of real estate development”, Singapore: National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication, 2015 URA, “30 years of conservation in Singapore since 1989”, Singapore, 2019 Katyana Melic (writer), Michael Koh (research supervisor), Gregory Lee (editor), Eunice Rachel Low (production supervisor), “Urban System Studies, Past, Present and Future: Conserving the Nation’s Built Heritage”, Singapore: Centre for Livable Cities, 2019

Dissertations Wei Juanjuan, “The Blending of Old and New as a Development Strategy, Case Studies in Singapore”, Master of Architecture, National University of Singapore, 2006 Low Ming Fang, “Urban Streetscapes: A Comparative Investigation”, Master of Architecture, National University of Singapore, 2001 Goh Jia Yun, “How to be a distinctive and vibrant city? Based on the transformation of Bugis”, Master of Architecture, National University of Singapore, 2009 Neoh Sue May, “Heritage and Enterprise in the making of a consumption site in Singapore: A case study of Bugis Junction and Bugis Village”, Bachelor of Architecture, National University of Singapore, 1997 Chen Xia, “The Inheritance and Development: The Research of the Conservation and Adaptation of Historical Architecture in Shanghai”, Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture, Tongji University, 2007

Journals HENG Chye Kiang, Sha Yongjie, Wei Juanjuan, “An Introduction to Urban Planning and Development of Singapore”, Shanghai Urban Planning Review, 2012(03) Chan Yew Lih, “Conservation and Change: A Singapore Case of Urban Conservation and Development”, 15th ICOMOS General Assembly and International Symposium, 2005 45

Su Su, “Study on the development process of urban renewal in Shanghai”, China Urban Planning Annual Conference, 2017 Ge Yan, “Exploration, Challenge and Strategy of Urban Regeneration in Shanghai”, Beijing Planning Review, 2019(S2) Ge Yan, Guan Ye, Nie Mengyao, “The Evolution Character and Innovation Research of Urban Regeneration Policy in Shanghai”, Shanghai Urban Planning Review, 2017(05) Ding Fan, Wu Jiang, “The Evolution of Shanghai's Urban Renewal and Cultural Turn in New Era”, Housing Science, 2018, 38(11) Jiang Wenjin, Chen Keshi, Ma Xuegaung, “Research on Spatial Production in the Regeneration of Old Towns in China: Taking Shanghai Xintiandi as an Example”, Urban Development Studies, 2011, 18(10) Ning Yajing, “Urban conservation and practice in the process of urban renewal in Singapore”, China Urban Planning Annual Conference, 2012 Tang Bin, “The Historical Changes of Urban Regeneration System in Singapore from 1960 to 2020”, Urban Planning International, 2021 Chen Xiaodong, “Urban Design Facing Urban Development: A Case Study and Its Suggestions of China Square Area Urban Design in Singapore”, Modern Urban Research, 2015(11) Luo Xiaowei, “Xintiandi, One of the Mode of Urban Revitalization”, Time Architecture, 2001(04) Shi Yaling, Huang Yong, “Reshaping space in urban renewal: Taking Xintiandi and Tianzifang in Shanghai as examples”, China Urban Planning Annual Conference, 2016 Zhu Xiaojun, “Talking about the Development and Future of Shanghai's Characteristic Blocks from Xintiandi to Sinan Mansion”, Chinese Landscape Architecture, 2019, 35(S2) Shan Ruiqi, Zhang Song, “The Vitality Assessment of Renewed Historic Built Environment and a Discussion on Regeneration Strategies: The Cases of Tianzifang, Xintiandi, and Yuyuan Tourist Mart in Shanghai”, Urban Planning Forum, 2021(02) Xiang Yijing, Zhang Song, “Process and Evaluation of the Preservation and Restoration of Yu Garden in Shanghai”, Urbanism and Architecture, 2013(05)

News Articles Online Articles 46

“Luo Kangrui: The success of Xintiandi Square benefited from the 140,000 old bricks from Shikumen Buildings”, 10 Oct 2018, The Paper URA, “China Square: Past to Present”, Skyline, 1999 DC International, “Renovation of Yuyuan Tourist Mart”, Architectural Practice, 2020(10) Jiang Tian, “Stitching Cities: Xintiandi”, https://tianyijiang.wordpress.com/tag/xin-tian-di/

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