PLAN Magazine #8: UPAT Guangzhou, China - Guanghzou Historic and Cultural Corridors by ISOCARP

PLAN

Issue 8 March 2019

Guangzhou Guangzhou Historic and Cultural Corridors Urban Regeneration, Reinventing Cities How to make Guangzhou Unique Heritage as the Motive for Urban Renewal

ISSN 2414-3464

Organisers International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) ISOCARP Institute, Center of Urban Excellence Urban Planning Society of China (UPSC) Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute (GZPI) Editors Jens Aerts, Martin Dubbeling, Silja Tillner, Design and Layout David Fearon, Martina van Lierop, Paul Reynolds Proofreaders Su Hong, Zhang Ji, Zhang Zheng Photography Jens Aerts (p. 20 below, 23 below, 34, 66, 72); Martin Dubbeling (cover, p. 41); Toon Grobet (p. 74); Silja Tillner (p. 43, 45, 46 bottom, 47 middle, 47 bottom); BUUR/ IPE Collectif (p. 75 bottom); Archive Management Department of GZPI (p. 4, 6, 17, 18, 19, 33, 42, 52, 62, 63, 66); Coussee&Goris/Vervoordt r.e. (p.75 middle) UNICEF (p. 76,77)

Illustrations All illustrations were produced by the UPAT team, with copyright by ISOCARP, except the following: AdB/Oesha Thakoerdin (p. 36, 37, 38, 39); Guangzhou Urban Development Archives (p. 36); Silja Tillner (p. 43, 46, 48, 49); Silja Tillner, Jens Aerts, Xue Liying, Liu Mengyun, Long Xuan, Cao Yujun (p. 44); Architects Tillner & Willinger (p. 54, 55); BAU/ Joan Busquets (p. 72); Paul Lecroart, He Xuwei (p. 45 top) The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders. If any have been overlooked, we will be pleased to make the necessary accreditations at the first opportunity. ISSN 2414-3464

ÂŠ 2019 ISOCARP / GZPI / UPSC All copyrights, commercial rights, design rights, trademarks or other elements considered intellectual property that are published in this report are reserved by the International Society of City and Regional Planners, Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute and Center of Urban Planning Society of China. You are permitted to use the contents of this report online, offline and social media and other publication channels for non-commercial purposes with clear reference to ISOCARP, GZPI and UPSC as its main source. You are not permitted to modify, compile, adapt, or use any part of this report in any way for commercial purposes without a written agreement from International Society of City and Regional Planners. For more information please contact isocarp@isocarp.org.

Editor’s note 编者按 Jens Aerts & Silja Tillner Rapporteurs, UPAT Guangzhou

After two decades of unprecedented urbanization, translated in massive city extensions, ‘international style’ new cities and ultra-modern regional transportation networks, China is taking a new turn, a more reflective one. There are ideological but also several practical reasons for this interesting and surprising change in thinking. In October 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping asked Guangzhou to strive to achieve new vitality in the old city when inspecting Guangdong. Urban regeneration focus in urban planning comes to the fore, that aims to value what exists, give it a new life and integrate it in the broader urban landscape. This is a very positive transformation and a radical shift away from too much emphasis on the transformation of old community in the central city. After decades of developments that could hardly be distinguished and tied to their location, a longing for identity, uniqueness and a connection to one’s origin appears. This search for a unique identity creates a perfect momentum to innovate the urban planning and design practice, to create exceptional projects that express a respect for local roots and human scale, but also promote the reuse of existing structures and typologies in historic districts in an economically viable and ecologically sustainable way. Without any doubt Guangzhou willl be at the center of this shift towards urban regeneration. The heritage of Guangzhou is of an exceptional quality and quite unique, covering 2200 years of history. The city has an impressive center, with a high historic value in terms of buildings, street patterns and urban fabric. Extending along the Pearl River, the historic city center is intact in many areas and includes historic paths that connect to the river. An additional factor is the human scale of the streets, filled with residents and visitors of all ages that turn the center in a bustling network of public spaces to gather, to trade and to eat. Many valuable traditional uses still co-exist in these historic mixed districts, while creative entrepreneurs and start-ups have started to enliven and enrich the atmosphere. Nevertheless, the historic part of

经过近二十年空前快速的城镇化，随之而来的大型城市扩张、“国际化新城” 和超现代区域交通网络，中国正在经历一次更加深刻的转型。这种有趣而惊人的转变，究其根源，有几个在思想和实践层面的原因。2018年10月习近平总书记在视察广东时，要求广州努力实现老城市新活力，城市规划领域中的城市更新成为了新的聚焦点，以求重视遗存价值、赋予新生并且将其融入更广泛的城市景观当中。较于过去过多偏重中心城区老旧社区改造的做法，这是一次非常积极而根本的转变。经过几十年高速高效的发展，很多地域特色被忽视，现在中国城市正产生一种表达自身特色、显现地域原真性的渴求。这就为城市规划设计实践提供了一种最佳的原动力，衍生了众多关注地域特色、宜人尺度的优秀项目，同时也促进了在历史地区文脉和老旧建筑以一种更加经济适用、生态可持续的形式进行再生。毫无疑问，广州将置身于城市更新的大潮之中。两千两百年的历史给广州留下了品质非凡且独一无二的历史文化遗产。广州旧城中心丰富且高历史价值的建筑、街道和城市肌理令人印象深刻。广州旧城中心沿着珠江延展，许多街区依旧保存完好并与珠江保留着历史路径的联系。此外，人性化尺度的街巷，吸引着各年龄段的居民和旅客在此聚会、进行商品交易和品味美食，将旧城中心转化为一张繁华热闹的公共场所网络。许多有价值的传统空间使用方式和新兴的创意、创业企业共存于这些历史混合 Plan Guangzhou

Guangzhou faces challenges that are similar to many other dynamic metropolises in Asia and the Americas. Amidst the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater area, the city and its thriving economy have spurred new development and stimulated the construction of new city centers, epitomized by emblematic signature buildings, but it is generally a building with lack of local characteristics and rapid construction. New business districts and cultural centers have their merit and even attract international visitors, but also shift the attention away from the existing urban landscape to the new and ex-citing parts of town. These new areas are becoming preferred business locations and desirable residential districts with decent access to modern public services. In the mean time the city center has to deal with outdated services, patrimony that is costly to renovate, noise, air pollution and more extreme weather conditions. The historic center of Guangzhou needs a new breath, to be able to shine and lead the way in this new era of Chinese urban regeneration planning. Against the backdrop of the challenges and opportunities mentioned above, the Urban Planning Advisory Team deployed in Guangzhou from 3 to 9 June 2018. The assignment, previously described in the assignment call, challenged the team to design two Historic and Cultural Corridors that are part of a larger program ‘Most Guangzhou’, to improve the accessibility and identification of historical resources as well as the

街区中，使得传统的氛围更加活跃丰富。然而，与亚洲和美洲许多动态变化中的大都市情况相似，广州的历史城区也面临着挑战。地处粤港澳大湾区，广州及其欣欣向荣的经济催生了新的城市发展以及新城市中心的建设，以代表性的现代建筑为缩影，但普遍是本地特色欠缺且快速建成的建筑。新的商务区和文化中心优势凸显，吸引国际游客的同时也把对现存城市景观的关注度转移到了城市新的兴奋点上。这些获取现代公共服务更简易的城市新区，已经成为了商务活动和居住小区更青睐的选址位置。与此同时，旧城中心需要处理设施老化、旧房修缮费用高昂、噪音、空气污染和极端气候环境等问题。广州历史旧城中心需要新鲜的空气，在中国城市更新规划的新时代中焕发新生同时开启领军作用。针对上述背景和挑战，UPAT于2018年 6月3日-9日在广州开展了一次技术咨询工作坊。此次工作坊的任务，是要求团队设计两条历史文化步径——属于“最广州历史文化步径”这个更大项目内的一部

The Urban Planning Advisory Team at the Opening Ceremony, from left to right: Jianjun Wang, Zhimin Chen, Xue Liying, Long Xuan, Bi Yu, Zhang Leyi, Zhang Ji, Li Yun, Huiming Huang, Xingdong Deng, Jens Aerts, Yue Sun, Shi Nan, Milena Ivkovic, Martin Dubbeling, Paul Lecroart, Luigi Cipolla, Silja Tillner, Oeshadevie Thakoerdin, Cao Yujun, Niu Mengyun, Zhang Yan, Wang Yingchi, Su Hong, Fan Jing, Zheng Qingzhi, He Xuwei, Huang Junwei

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environment along these corridors in the city centre. Whereas the larger program covers a major part of the entire city center, these two corridors are situated in two different districts each with its own identity and particular challenges: the Xi Huan area and the Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral areas. Taking advantage from China Urban Planning Association (UPSC), Guangzhou Urban Planning Survey and Design Institute (GZPI) together with our host and long-time partner of ISOCARP, we were able to grasp the complexity of the assignment and formulate a consistent advice. In hardly one week time, The Institute not only provided high-quality accommodation in their offices, but also prepared in-depth preliminary research and an intensive program with site visits and presentations by senior staff and various stake-holders that are active in the city center. Powered by the delicious Cantonese food, we performed an assessment of the existing situation, re-framed the original assignment in a city-wide vision, developed urban design proposals for two specific sites and drafted policy recommendations to support urban generation, based on the expertise and knowledge amongst team members on good practices in other cities in the world. This Plan Issue is composed of three types of articles. Each one of them represents a particular way of knowledge production that guided us during the assignment and allowed us to develop a vision and a development strategy that builds on the strengths of the situation and that frames the innovative decisions to be made on a micro-level. Obviously, our knowledge as urban planners was in the first place based on the expertise to carry out a spatial analysis, an assessment of existing systems and research by design. This first set of ‘Vision’ articles reflect the most unique virtue of urban planning: to research by design and to visualize urban regeneration strategies in a spatial, multiscalar and integrated way that touches upon different topics simultaneously:, such as climate resilience, historic revitalization, heritage preservation, urban transportation, public amenities, the public realm and the use of public space. The produced maps and sketches illustrate in a powerful way the relation between these topics, i.e., linking preservation and reuse ideas for historic buildings with proposals for high-quality open spaces and the improvement of pedestrian mobility, access and circulation for businesses and residents. A second group of articles - ‘Expert Voices’ - highlights the importance of building upon the knowledge and engagement of various stakeholders with opinions, experiences and resources: inhabitants, heritage specialists, developers, Chinese planners from other cities, the city administration of Guangzhou.

分——旨在提高位于城市中心的这两条步径的可达性，优化沿线历史文化资源的辨识度，同时提高沿线空间环境品质。“最广州历史文化步径”项目覆盖了大部分城市中心区，而这两条历史文化步径分别位于两个具有独特个性和尖锐挑战的地区：西关地区和石室教堂地区。得益于及广州市城市规划勘测设计研究院（GZPI）及中国城市规划学会（UPSC）作为本次活动的主办方以及 ISOCARP的长期合作伙伴，我们能够在不到一周的时间里掌握项目的复杂性并形成一致的方案。在此期间广州市规划院不仅提供了高质量工作空间，也准备了深入的初步研究和紧张详细的工作计划，带领团队深入考察场地，邀请规划专家和活跃在城市中的各种利益相关者进行场地背景介绍。在美味的粤菜的振奋下，我们对现有情况进行了评估，融入团队成员在全球实践中积累的专业知识和经验，基于全广州市的格局重新构建了项目任务，针对两个特定地点制定了城市设计方案，并起草了支持城市更新的政策建议。本期规划文章主要由三种不同类型文章构成，它们每一种都代表了一种规划思维的详细形成过程，这种思维和知识在分配任务期间指导我们，并使我们能够根据情况的优势制定远景目标和发展战略，并在微观层面制定创新决策。显而易见的是，我们作为城市规划者的知识首先是基于专业知识来进行空间分析、评估现有系统和通过设计进行研究。第一组“愿景”类型的文章反映了城市规划最独特的优点，通过设计进行研究，并以空间、多尺度和综合的方式可视化展现城市更新策略，并涉及不同的主题：如气候恢复、历史复兴、遗产保护、城市交通、公共设施、公共领域和公共空间的使用。生成的方案图和模型以一种强有力的方式说明了这些主题之间的关系，将历史建筑的保存和再利用理念，与高品质休憩空间、改善居住和商业人群的步行流通性、可达性联系起来。第二组“专家之声”类型文章，强调了各领域专家融合参与的重要性，他 Plan Guangzhou

Group discussion in the workshop space at the GZPI office

Finally, a third type of articles - ‘Global Practices’ describe inspiring ideas and approaches that have proven their success in other cities in the world and are relevant to learn from in the case of Guangzhou: the downgrading of transportation infrastructure in city centers, contemporary reuse of heritage, climate resilient planning, urban district scale renewal projects, participatory planning and child-responsive planning, for example. Finally, the production of all this work during the UPAT workshop was only possible thanks to the interdisciplinary set up with international and local experts, with a diversity of backgrounds and individual experiences in historical analyses and heritage assessment, sustainable urban development, urban design, conception and programming of public space. We hope this magazine conveys the spirit of the workshop and the city of Guangzhou to the reader in a most inspiring and meaningful way. On behalf of the UPAT Team, Silja Tilner and Jens Aerts

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们拥有自己的观点、经验和资源，专家包括来自其他城市的居民、遗产专家、开发商、地区规划师和广州市政府代表……最后，第三种“全球实践”类型的文章描述了一些鼓舞人心的想法和方法，这些想法和方法已经在世界其他城市证明了它们的成功，并与广州的案例息息相关，例如，减少城市中心车行交通基础设施供给，对遗产的当代化再利用，气候弹性规划，城市更新项目，公众参与式规划和儿童友好型规划。最后，UPAT 研讨会期间所有的工作成果，只有在国际和当地专家的跨学科合作下才能实现。他们拥有多样的背景和个人经验，囊括历史分析和遗产评估，可持续城市发展，城市设计，城市公共空间理论研究与设计等多个方面。我们希望工作坊期间的鼓舞人心和最有意义的精彩瞬间可以通过这本杂志展现给广州读者。

Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute (GZPI) 广州市城市规划勘测设计研究院 Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute (GZPI) is the longest-standing, largestscaled and leading comprehensive planning and survey research institute in South China. We are committed to providing urban and rural planning construction and natural resource management. GZPI is expanding business in urban planning, surveying and mapping geographic information, architectural design, municipal and landscape design, geotechnical engineering, engineering-consulting, engineering supervision, engineering general contracting, etc., and always takes "serving the government and serving the society" as its goal, taking quality standards into account. In addition, GZPI seeks to balance the unification of laws, regulations, owners' expectations and public interests, and attaches importance to the requirements of urban space and regional culture for specific projects. GZPI's works and projects spread all over the country, with a number of academic level consultants, and maintain continuous, open and in-depth cooperation with the international top peers. GZPI has undergone profound changes in scientific and technological innovation, personnel training, quality control, etc. It has passed the national engineering survey industry quality management system upgrade version AAA certification and ISO9001 quality management system, Environmental and occupational health and safety management systems have achieved efficient and high quality operations. We strive to develop into the most influential engineering consulting technology service consortium in China and even in the world on an existing basis. In order to fulfil our excellent team will continue to enhance the innovation ability around customer needs, through applying leading technology, perfect management and exercise.

广州市城市规划勘测设计研究院（GZPI）创于1953年，是华南地区历史最悠久、规模最大、专业最齐全、综合实力全国领先的规划勘测设计高新技术单位，致力于向政府、社会和公众提供城乡规划建设和自然资源管理技术服务。 GZPI 业务涵盖了城市规划、测绘地理信息、建筑设计、市政与景观、岩土工程、工程管理与咨询六大领域，并始终以“服务政府、服务社会”为宗旨，兼顾质量标准、法律法规、业主期望和公众利益的统一，重视城市空间和地域文化对具体项目的要求。 GZPI 的作品与项目遍及全国各地乃至国际。拥有多名院士级顾问，并与国一流同行间保持持续、开放、深入的合作。 GZPI 在科技创新、人才培养、质量控制等方面进行了深刻的变革，通过了全国工程勘察行业质量管理体系升级版AAA 认证以及ISO9001质量管理体系、环境与职业健康安全管理体系，实现了高效、高质量运作，以此确保对客户的优质服务。我们力争在此良好基础上发展成为国内乃至国际最具行业影响力的规划勘测设计咨询服务联合体，我们卓越的工作团队，将持续提升围绕客户需求的创新能力，通过领先的技术、完善的管理和优良的服务实现我们这一目标。

Plan Guangzhou

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Plan Guangzhou

40 Level-A QUALIFICATIONS TO ENSURE OUR EXCELLENT QUALITIES 40 项甲级资质实力保障品质

1 项综合甲级、23 项专业甲级、7 项专项甲级，7 项工程项目管理甲级。 1 Integrated Level-A, 23 Professional Level A, 7 Special Level A, 7 Project Management Level-A Qualifications.

项综合甲级（含 3 项）

1 Integrated Level-A (including 3 items)

项工程项目管理甲级

7 Project Management Level-A Qualifications

项专业甲级

23 Professional Level-A Qualifications

项专项甲级

7 Specialized Level-A Qualifications

PI GZ

UR 10 CH

O BR

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1520 AWARDS & HONORS 1520 项获奖及荣誉

建院以来共获得国家和部省市科技进步奖及优秀工程勘察设计奖 1520 项次，其中国家奖 9 项、部级奖 324 项、省级奖 480 项、市级奖 707 项，专利奖 5 项。 Since the establishment of the Institute, we have won 1520 national and provincial science & technology progress awards 、excellent engineering survey and design awards, including 9 national awards, 324 ministerial awards, 480 provincial awards, 707 municipal awards, and 5 patent awards.

国家奖

项

部级奖

9 national awards

省级奖

480

480 provincial awards

324

324 ministerial awards

项

专利奖

市级奖

项

707

707 municipal awards

项

5 patent awards

Plan Guangzhou

11ROCHUR PI B

GENERAL

Editor’s note 编者注 Jens Aerts &

VISION

Silja Tillner

Guangzhou Historic and Cultural Corridors

Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute (GZPI)

First Impressions Paul Lecroart & Luigi Cipolla

EXPERT VOICES GLOBAL PRACTICES

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Interview with Dr Shi Nan Silja Tillner &

Paul Lecroart

Urban Planning Advisory Team

A Vision for Guangzhou City Centre Luigi Cipollav

Interview with Cao Yujun Silja Tillner

Jens Aerts

From Road Space to Living Space

Contributors

Paul Lecroart &

The Assignment Brief

Interview with Yue Sun Jens Aerts & Silja Tillner

Urban Climate Change Resilience Oesha Thakoerdin & Fan Jing

Vienna River and Gürtel Boulevard Cultural Mile Silja Tillner

Contributors Local Team

Introductory remarks Martin Dubbeling

Silja Tillner, Jens Aerts,

Xiguan Urban Renewal

Xue Liying, Liu Mengyun,

Milena Ivkovic,

Jens Aerts

Long Xuan, Cao Yujun

Huang Junwei, Zhang

Pearl River District

Planning for Regeneration

Leyi, Zhengg Qingzhi, Bi Yu

Interview with Professor Shifu Wang

Jens Aerts

Jens Aerts &

Interview with Xuwei He

Silja Tillner &

Interview with Chen Jiajian Silja Tillner

Jens Aerts

Urban Renewal in Malang Luigi Cipolla

Shaping urbanisation for children Jens Aerts

Plan Guangzhou

Contributors Urban Planning Advisory Team

Jens Aerts has 20 years of experience in the development of urban planning strategies in Europe and as facilitator of stakeholder engagement in numerous cities in Belgium. He now supports UNICEF in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Jens is the author of ‘Shaping Urbanization for Children’, a handbook on childresponsive urban planning. Silja Tillner is an Austrian architect-urban planner and co-principal of Architects Tillner & Willinger in Vienna. Silja holds a Master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Design and studied in Los Angeles and Vienna. She has extensive working experience in research and analyses, historical preservation and sustainable urban design of inner cities in Zürich, Vienna and most recently in downtown Cairo.

Paul Lecroart is a senior urban planner at the Urban Planning Agency for the Paris Region, advising different levels of government on spatial strategies, landscape and public-space projects, as well as major urban transformations. Paul has employed his planning experience in various cities including New York, Cali, Liverpool, Tehran, Erevan, Moscow, Rabat, Johannesburg, Tripoli, Vitoria, Changzhou, and Montréal. Martin Dubbeling is a senior consultant active in the fields of urban planning and design, landscape architecture, and the environment in the Netherlands and abroad. He is President-elect of ISOCARP (20182021). As Vice President UPATs and as UPAT Programme Manager, Martin organised UPAT workshops in Singapore, Wuhan, Perm, Shantou, Nanjing, the West Bank, Gaza, Bodø and most recently in Ningbo, Durban and Guangzhou.

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Milena IvkoviÄ&#x2021; is ISOCARPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vice President Urban Planning Advisory Teams. She has Master of Architecture and Planning Degree obtained at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. Milena is a researcher and designer with more then ten years of both academic and practical experience in the field of urban planning. With her own practice Blok74, in Rotterdam, Milena is developing new urban planning tools, based on gamification and collaborative design.

Oeshadevie Thakoerdin is a Dutch urban planner and designer with a Master in Urbanism from Delft University of Technology. She is Director Sustainability at WEnergy Global in Singapore, with projects in sustainable renewable energy in Indonesia, South-Korea, Myanmar, Philippines and Singapore. Presently, Oesha is consultant with the Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund of the Asian Development Bank in Manilla.

Luigi Cipolla is an Italian architect-urban planner with a long international experience in overall project development and the management of planning and design services and collaborative processes of complex master planning developments in Europe and Asia. Luigi is senior manager at the architecture, planning and environment department of Egis International Indonesia in Jakarta.

Atanu Das is an Indian urban designer and architect with a Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in Urban Design of the School of Urban Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. Atanu worked for several years as an architect and urban designer in several offices in India. Presently he works at AE7 Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Plan Guangzhou

Contributors Local Team

Cao Yujun has a Master’s degree in Urban Planning at Tsinghua University. He is deputy chief planner at the Tsinghua Urban Planning and Design Institute (THUPDI), in Beijing.

Bi Yu has a Master’s degree in Urban Planning at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York. She is senior planner at the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute.

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Zhang Leyi has Master’s Degree in Urban Planning at Chongqing Jianzhu University. He is senior planner at Zhejiang Urban and Rural Planning and Design Institute in Hangzhou.

Huang Junwei has a Master’s degree in Urban Planning and Design at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou. He works as chief planner at the Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute (GZPI).

Niu Mengyun has a Master’s degree in Urban Planning at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. She works as an urban planner at the Ningbo Urban Planning and Design Institute (NBPI).

Xue Liying has a Master’s degree in Urban Planning at Tjongji University, Shanghai, and Bauhaus Universität in Weimar, Germany. She works as an urban planner at the Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Researh Institute (GZPI). Long Xuan has a Master’s degree in Landscape Design at Tsinghua University in Beijing. She works as a landscape designer at the Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute (GZPI).

He Xuwei has a Master’s degree in Master in Urban Planning and Design from Delft University of Technology. She works as an urban planner at the Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute (GZPI).

Fan Jing has a Master’s degree in Landscape Design at Peking University. He works as a landscape designer at the Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute (GZPI).

Zheng Qingzhi has a Master’s degree in Landscape Design at Peking University. He works as a landscape designer at the Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute (GZPI).

Plan Guangzhou

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Introductory remarks Martin Dubbeling, ISOCARP President & Past Vice President UPATs

Guangzhou is one of the biggest cities in China. The city is in some parts of the world better remembered as Canton. Together with Shenzhen, Hong Kong ad Macau and other cities, Guangzhou is part of the energetic and vibrant Pearl River Delta. It is a trading city where Chinese heritage, colonial history and one of the world’s most successful Central Business Districts are strengthening each other. Since the beginning of the maritime Silk Road, Canton, now Guangzhou never stopped trading. In large parts of the city traders from Africa, Asia and the Middle East visit and do business in wholesale markets. Seven days a week and all through the nights bags and boxes with dried seafood, fruits and mushrooms, as well as electronics, clothes, toys, stationary and spare parts are transported from one warehouse to another, waiting for international shipment. In hotel lobbies foreign traders talk in multiple mobile phones while waiting to be picked up by their local business partners. It gives this multi-layered city a friendly and international atmosphere that is aloof from borders and trade wars. Guangzhou is one of the main centres of urban agglomeration in Pearl River Delta and it is one of the most dynamic metropolitans in China with an area of almost 7,500 km2, over 14 million citizens (2016), and a strong economy. Guangzhou aims to be an international shipping hub, international aviation hub, international science and technology innovation hub, and strives to become a global city. For 28 consecutive years Guangzhou’s GDP was ranked as the third city of China after Shanghai and Beijing. Together with Shenzhen, Macau and Hong Kong, Guangzhou is part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area that finds its equals in the New York Bay Area, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Tokyo Bay Area. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has 80 million inhabitants and is in itself an economic force in the world. Guangzhou Historic and Cultural Corridors For over 2200 years Guangzhou, known as Panyu in ancient times, is situated between magnificent mountains and oceans. Guangzhou has been the provincial capital in all previous dynasties and the national capital during the Nanyue, Nanhan and Nanming dynasties. The city holds a great number of notable and cultural places and buildings of heritage. The Guangzhou historic layout can be best described as ‘six streams connected to the ocean, half of the

mountain extended into the city’. This image reflects the close connection between the city and its natural surroundings and resources. Today, the old town of Guangzhou has a rich heritage with districts, islands, parks, waterways and buildings with a large variety of backgrounds, stories, histories and identities. Many of these places of interest are now isolated and deserve a better context, better connections and more attention. Learning from the Freedom Trail in Boston, USA, Guangzhou has launched the program of ‘Most Guangzhou’ for its Historic and Cultural Corridors to improve the accessibility and identification of historical resources as well as the environment along the corridor. Guangzhou follows the idea of ‘Passing through 2000 years to Recall the Stories of Guangzhou’ by designing a series of unique pedestrian routes that connect the most historical and traditional buildings, streets, parks and neighbourhoods. These routes can become great stages to tell the stories of Guangzhou and present Guangzhou to the world. Ecological Restoration and Urban Renovation In 2016, the Central Economic Working Conference of the Chinese Government adopted the strategy to strengthen urban and rural planning and design, to restore natural and

Plan Guangzhou

ecological vital areas and to encourage renovating urban areas. This new policy, developed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development (MOHURD), marks the beginning of a new phase in Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s urban-rural planning and reconstruction. The Ecological Restoration and Urban Renovation Act emphasises the need for nation-wide tasks and targets on a local and city level. In effect, MOHURD directs regional and local governments to retrofit and redevelop cities to improve the quality of life for citizens. Ecological Restoration and Urban Renovation is a combined transition in both the urban development policy as well as the administration of urban governance. Ecological restoration encourages the repair of damaged natural features and the enhancement of ecological qualities and landscapes. It also emphasises the relationship between urban and ecology, between protection and development, and between human and nature. Urban Renovation, on the other hand, aims to upgrade urban functions and infrastructure and to improve urban identity and vitality through organic urban renewal. The Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute (GZPI) For over 60 years the Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute (GZPI) is a longstanding, large scale and leading comprehensive planning and survey research institute in South China. GZPI is committed to providing

engineering and building services to government, society and public. GZPI's services include urban planning, surveying, mapping and geo-information, architecture design, municipal engineering and landscape design, geotechnical engineering, project consultancy, project supervision and project contacting. GZPI has 300 employees and has received many national and international prizes for their work. GZPI is one of the partner organizations of ISOCARP. In 2010 GZPI was bestowed with the ISOCARP Awards for Excellence for the Strategic Planning of Guangzhou City. In 2017 GZPI received this award for the second time for their Beautiful Village and Characteristic Town Planning initiative. GZPI is an institutional member of ISOCARP since 2017. Cool Planning The Urban Planning Advisory Team (UPAT) programme is a service that ISOCARP provides to cities and regions worldwide. The strength of ISOCARPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approach lies in the diversity of each team, with a context and perspective that is specific to a certain location and point in time. Bringing together ISOCARP members and local professionals creates an alchemy that leads to creative and robust urban strategies. The GZPI invited ISOCARP to select a team of eight experts to cooperate with five planners from the GZPI Planning Team and three experts selected by UPSC, the Urban Planning

Site visit along the Pearl River

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Group discussion in the workshop space at the GZPI office

Society of China. The expert members from ISOCARP were Paul Lecroart (France), Silja Tillner (Austria), Jens Aerts (Belgium/USA), Oeshadevie Thakoerdin (Netherlands/ Singapore), Luigi Cipolla (Italy/Indonesia), Milena Ivkovic (Serbia/Netherlands). The expert members of UPSC are Cao Yujun (Beijing), Bi Yu (Tianjin), Zhang Leyi (Hangzhou) and Niu Mengyun (Ningbo). The expert members of GZPI are Xue Liying, Fan Jing, Long Xuan, Zheng Qingzhi, Huang Junwei and He Xuwei.

The results of the Urban Planning Advisory Team visiting Guangzhou between 03 and 10 June 2018 are reflected in this PLAN Magazine. Other editions of PLAN Magazine present the results of previous and future UPAT workshops in Gaza and West Bank, Wuhan, BodĂ¸, Durban, Ningbo and Suzhou. I thank the GZPI and UPSC for preparing and hosting this excellent UPAT workshop and I thank the Guangzhou UPAT Team for their contributions in the production of this Magazine.

UPAT team after salon conference In front of an authentic house in Xiguan

Plan Guangzhou

Guangzhou Historic and Cultural Corridors The Assignment Brief

The city center of Guangzhou with the Historic and Cultural Corridors

Historic and modern scales along the canals in Xi Huan Area

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In short, the task of the UPAT team is to enhance ‘Cool Planning’. ‘Cool’ in both senses of the word, as places desirable for living and doing business, and as places that our planet can support for the next generations. The task of the ISOCARP UPAT Team was to assist the Guangzhou Urban Planning Design Survey Research (GZPI) in their planning efforts for two of seven previously defined Guangzhou Historic and Cultural Corridors: the corridor in the Xi Huan Area and the Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral Area.

The route from the riverfront to the Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral

The ambition of GZPI is to assess and connect the historic urban resources of Guangzhou, and to accelerate the functional dispersal, optimization and upgrade along the corridors. It will lead to the improvement of microclimate and environmental quality in the old town, and finally a sustainable community.

Plan Guangzhou

First Impressions Paul Lecroart & Luigi Cipolla

The impression a visitor catches of Guangzhou on arrival is somewhat confusing. The city shows itself today as a very large, bustling, modern high-rise metropolis, well served by good infrastructure networks. Canton is a well-known historic city of China, which has been trading since the Middle Ages with India, the Middle East and Europe. So, one expects that this long and rich history has left an important imprint in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s physical fabric. One searches for the old city in between the tall buildings that mark the skyline: where has it gone ? Where is the Bayun mountain that gave birth to the city? Where are the palaces and the shrines of the Ming dynasty? Where are the quarters of the Qing dynasty? What has happened to the Old City wall and rivers of the city? Why is the River Pearl no longer the heart of the city life? Well, much of it seems to have been destroyed, buried or damaged. But still, rich historical remains lie in the midst of the contemporary city: Guangzhouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s built heritage tends to be a unique blend of traditional Cantonese river and street patterns, colonial architecture, Sino European 19th Century architecture and 20th Century modernist structures. And many scattered remains are still waiting to be discovered, uncovered, refurbished or recycled for other uses.

After decades of rapid modernization and greenfield expansion turning its back to its past, Guangzhou should consider entering a new cycle of development, knitting together its unique natural, historical and social assets as major engines of its sustainable development strategy.

Wholesale activities in Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral area

The commercial and historic value of Changdi Road

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The highway viaduct on Renmin Road

The Pearl River (Zhujiang) at the heart of City life Perhaps it is time to reconnect the past and the future, to write the full story of Canton-Guangzhou with its ups and downs and all its complexity. Guangzhou can build up on assets that other cities such as Hong Kong or Shenzhen may not have: a long history, heritage and livability. Today, Guangzhou is part of one of the largest and fastest growing urban regions worldwide, the GuangdongHong Kong-Macau area or Pearl River Delta Region (PRDR). In the last two decades, economic competition between cities of the Pearl River Delta has lead to an uncontrolled urban sprawl that has destroyed a great deal of the agricultural land, natural patterns and historic heritage. The time has come to better collaborate at the regional level on a vision and development pathway that respects and enhances this heritage for future generations.

The intimacy of the Shamian Park

Plan Guangzhou

From Road Space to Living Space Reinventing Cities by Rethinking Infrastructure Paul Lecroart

In 1987, officials and citizens from Guangzhou were proud of the new elevated road built over Renmin street, then the longest in China. Today, this viaduct is seen by many as an eyesore blighting the arcade street below and a barrier between the Old City and Xiguan. Also the open space along the river banks was quickly used as an infrastructural space, with a dominant presence of cars along the Pearl River, explaining the current disconnection between the city and the river. Many cities worldwide, including Portland, San Francisco, Seoul, New York, Paris and MontrĂŠal, are recycling highways to regenerate urban space. Research by the Planning Agency for the Paris Region (IAU) suggests that converting highways into multi-use boulevards and green space does not increase congestion, on the contrary: It tends to improve overall mobility, walkability, liveability, and city resilience. Highway-to-boulevard case studies Functionalist thinking and 20th Century-style planning have left cities with extensive networks of urban highways. As they were built they get used, so they still play a role in moving people and goods within metropolitan areas. However these grade-separated express roads create physical barriers, tend to devitalize centres, neighbourhoods and waterfronts, and hinder regeneration. The high levels of traffic they support generate noise, dust and air pollution, raising health and social justice issues. By providing easy access for cars, extensive urban highways networks tend to encourage carcentric lifestyles, urban sprawl, and more congestion. In the last decades, many cities have successfully teared down obsolete urban highways, replacing them with multiuse boulevards or linear parks, often lined with mixed-use redevelopment. Why are they doing that? What happens with the traffic? What are the benefits and costs? Are these projects backed by public support? To get answers to these questions and others, I have researched over 20 highway-to-boulevard experiences worldwide, either completed or in the planning phase. Of these, nine in-depth case studies have been published in French: Portland (Harbor Drive), San Francisco (Embarcadero, Octavia), New York (West Side, Sheridan), Milwaukee (Park East), Montreal (Bonaventure), Vancouver (Viaducts)1 . Many of these cases featured central stretches of highways supporting heavy traffic volumes (from 50,000 to 150,000+ vehicles per day) before having been replaced. This research is currently helping the Paris metropolitan region to rethink its highway system. Case studies can be downloaded on IAU ĂŽle-de-France website: (https://www.iau-idf.fr/savoir-faire/nos-travaux/amenagement-et-territoires/ amenagement/avenues-metropolitaines.html) 1

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Renmin Street, Guangzhou

Montreal, Canada The Bonaventure Highway viaduct spur was deconstructed with a positive impact both on traffic and on the urban environment of this part of Montreal, as can be seen in the adjacent images: Top - Before removal, 2011 Bottom - After removal, 2017

Why do cities get rid of urban highways? Depending on physical context and circumstances, city and regions decide to remove highway stretches for a pragmatic combination of reasons, including: 1. Aging infrastructure and rebuilding costs. In San Francisco, Seoul, New York (West Side), and Toronto (East Gardiner Highway), it appeared cheaper to dismantle crumbling elevated highways than to rebuild or bury them. Recycling viaducts for pedestrians can give a new life to obsolete infrastructure, as in Seoul (Seoullo 7017) and Paris (La DĂŠfense Boulevard). 2. Revitalising blighted areas and unlocking redevelopment opportunities. The regeneration opportunities unlocked were a main driver for change in Vancouver, Milwaukee, Montreal, Birmingham (Inner Ring Road), Lyons (A43 Highway), and Oakland (I-980 Highway).

3. Reclaiming the waterfront. Transport engineers enjoyed building highways along rivers or seafronts. Converting highways in Portland, Seoul, New York and Paris helped these cities to reconnect with their historic setting and giving back beautiful waterscapes for people to enjoy. 4. Improving Quality of Life. Reducing through traffic and related nuisances is central to the strategy supporting the Seoul, Paris, Lyons (A6/A7 Confluence), or Strasburg (A35 Highway) transformation. These specific goals are usually part of wider urban intensification policies, transport plans and economic strategies. Some highway removal projects were accidental, such as in the case of San Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1989 earthquake.

Plan Guangzhou

Does highway transformation really help regenerate cities? Research shows that redesigning highway corridors can be a powerful driver for regenerating abandoned parts of cities, with a lasting positive impact on the city as a whole. Removing visual barriers, reconnecting streets, improving the quality of the environment has changed the face of Portland, San Francisco, Seoul, Milwaukee and Birmingham. Replacing interchanges and ramps with crossroads unlocks pieces of land that can be redeveloped. Where do the cars go? Traffic evaporation and behavioural changes To many traffic engineers’ surprise, closing highways does not usually create traffic chaos beyond initial adjustments. Where spare road capacity existed in some cases studied (Seoul, San Francisco, New York) car traffic switched to local street networks. Traffic thus got distributed more evenly on a larger number of streets. Congestion remained limited and less than forecasted. Average daily traffic in the road corridor may decrease dramatically after removal, from -20% in Portland to -82% in Seoul. When accounting for trips diverted to alternative roads or to public transport, a significant share of former traffic appears to have simply evaporated -typically in the range of 10-25%. Faced with a reduction of road capacity and speed, a proportion of motorists change their routes, time of travel, trip frequency or activity programme, while others switch to alternative modes. Changing conditions make car drivers give up less useful trips. Increased connectivity for everyone Some cities back up removal projects with alternative transport and travel demand management. While reducing road supply on the Cheonggycheon corridor, Seoul increased express bus services and discouraged individual car-use with tolls and parking policy. Local accessibility often improves with the removal of detours. A decrease of vehicle trips may also mean increased accessibility for people across other transport modes too for example, pedestrian and bike mobility and static uses of public space for enjoyment increase sharply. Ultimately, what one achieves is a shift from a system providing off-peak fast travel for some (motorists) to a 24/7 system of slower accessibility for all. Environmental effects Reduction in volume of motorised traffic and distances travelled tend to reduce fuel consumption as well as CO2 and fine particle emissions. Perception of noise decreases, even when noise levels remain high. The projects providing more greening may have a positive impact on local climate: in Seoul, summer temperatures along the former Cheonggyecheon highway corridor are 5°C lower than on other arterial roads. A favourable cost-benefit ratio? In cases studied, capital investment is in the range of m€ 3570 per kilometre. Highway-to-boulevard transformation often

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Seoul Cheonggyechon The Cheonggyechon Expressway (above), was a 10lane boulevard and a highway viaduct in Seoul, Korea. The highway corridor carried 168,000 cars a day, creating a significant barrier in the center of the city. The removal of the viaduct allowed for the restoration of the Cheonggyecheon river (below) and led to a significant reduction in car use.

proves cheaper in the long term than having to maintain or to rebuild infrastructure nearing the end of its life. It’s also a more affordable solution than capping or tunnelling. Land freed for redevelopment can contribute to meet the costs. Complex processes, public support? Redesigning a highway into a boulevard is a lengthy and complex process in which technical expertise, citizen participation, and political will play key roles. Convincing car-users and local business associations requires lots of data, meetings and leadership. Controversial to begin with, these projects often win over the public during the process. Symbolic actions or paradigm shifts? Highway transformation projects have a strong symbolic impact because they affect objects traditionally connected with the idea of freedom and modernity. They bring us to a more holistic way of thinking of city development, building upon the value of natural and cultural heritage. Learning from international Experience From an urban planner and designer’s point a view, I can summarize the main lessons in 4 points: 1. Transforming highways into boulevards encourages people to change their travel patterns: Less useful cartrips tend to disappear; eco-friendly transport modes tend to increase. This frees up road capacity for other needs such as higher added value car-trips or goods distribution. Improving local accessibility is not detrimental to longer-distance regional trips. 2. An integrated boulevard offers a comprehensive level of services connecting people and activities. It moves as many people than a highway, but at a slower, smoother

speed. Boulevards enable social and cultural interactions to take place, ultimately the raison d'être of cities and a key to their economic performance. 3. Replacing a highway by a well-connected high-quality multi-use boulevard creates value and can unlock the mixed-use regeneration of deprived urban spaces and improve the liveability of the city as a whole. 4. As a tool in the sustainable planner’s kit, highway conversion can be used pragmatically to leverage revitalisation of a specific area. Successful cheap -andeasy actions, such as highway summer closure in Paris (Paris-Plage), can help get support for transformation in the future. In the United States, the success of removal projects stimulates other cities to redesign obsolete highways. And Seoul has now removed 14 flyovers in total . since 2005! International success in highway-to-boulevard transformation schemes offer inspiration for a wider rethinking of the functions, uses and status of urban highways in cities. Profound changes are affecting the behaviour patterns of people and businesses, and the way large cities are organised. Many mature cities worldwide, including Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and London, have experienced an overall reduction in car use, traffic levels, and car ownership over the last decade. Redesigning the urban highway network of large cities may be a smart way to address together citizens’ aspirations and metropolitan development challenges, including global climate-related issues. It is not just about design: Ultimately, it’s about rethinking the future of a city. Guangzhou could be the first Chinese city to start this new cultural regeneration process.

Removing highways unlocks land that can be redeveloped for needs such as housing, commercial space, social infrastructure or green space. Park East Redevelopment Area in Milwaukee (US).

Plan Guangzhou

A Vision for Guangzhou City Centre Paul Lecroart & Luigi Cipolla

Today, in Guangzhou we witness the dichotomy between global and local urban space. Global spaces are those connected to the infrastructure networks (communication and mobility) – like airports, railway stations, hotel chains, large retail outlets, and vast infrastructural road intersections - which are shaping the entire urban territory of Guangzhou. The Old City and Xiguan are local spaces by excellence. In the last decades, Guangzhou has rapidly expanded along the Pearl River towards the East, rolling out new modern urban centres such as the Zhujiang New Town Central District, the Financial Centre, University Town and now the second CBD. New centres of activity have also emerged on the periphery of the city, such as the Baiyun International Airport, the South Railway Station or Sino-Singapore Knowledge City. Most of the urbanization has been pushing large urban developments towards the East, pulled by the opportunity of connection with the nearest Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater economic area. These large-scale investments definitely have strengthened Guangzhou as a whole but have weakened the Historic Centre and the symbolic connection of the modern city with its past, its cultural and natural resources. A lot of the Old City’s built and immaterial heritage that made Guangzhou so unique has disappeared or been damaged. Mostly the civic quality of public space remains poor in comparison to with newer parts of Guangzhou and international standards. The Historical Urban Area is prevalently marked by a localized and disconnected urban development from the modern city. As a result, most of the economy is in decline due to the poor connections with the economic opportunity offered by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater area network, buildings are not well maintained, and the population is shrinking.

The challenge to be unique on a global and local scale

City centres moving to the East

However, the remains of Guangzhou’s glorious history can still be seen and the Old City Centre a strong asset to be creatively regenerated: it has commercially active and lived-in neighborhoods; its historic, colonial and industrial heritage is rich and diverse; other assets include the small scale of streets and buildings, the extensive river system, an easy to appropriate active and flexible public space. Removing the barrier between the Old City and Xiguan

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The time may have come now to reevaluate these assets and engage in a comprehensive urban, economic and social regeneration of the Old City Centre, in synergy with the other urban centers and reconnecting those with the wide Bay Area. This will require a major financial and human reinvestment, as well as new participative instruments. Our vision is a livable, walkable, green, medium-rise, 24/7 attractive City Centre, supported by multi-use pedestrianfriendly public spaces, a vibrant innovative service-based and creative economy, strong cultural and touristic functions, and a social, cultural and generational mix of residents and visitors, that strenghtens social structures The 7 historic and cultural routes could be the first step in this regeneration and revitalization process for the City Centre. They will need to be knitted together and gradually connected to other parts of the city to tell the whole story of the Guangzhou transformation. These urban routes could also

connect to the regional greenway system of the Pearl River Delta to create a comprehensive as a cultural and natural infrastructure for the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sustainable future development. The design for two of these routes, the Pearl River route and the Xiguan route, fits in a wider strategy for the Eastern part of the City Center of Guangzhou. This strategy could rely on 4 key-actions: 1. Remove the Renmin viaduct barrier between the Old City and Xiguan 2. Revitalize the Pearl River West as the City on the waterfront and on both banks 3. Open up the city towards the water to tell the maritime story of Canton 4. Regenerate Xiguan in a modern way in connection with the Pearl Riverfront.

A strategy and four key actions for the center

Plan Guangzhou

Action 1 Transforming Renmin Road When the Renmin road viaduct was built in 1987, it seemed like a good way to ease the traffic on the NorthSouth axis through the City Center. Today, this road infrastructure appears to have severely damaged the quality and vibrancy of the arcade-built Renmin street leading to a decline of activity. The elevated infrastructure is perceived as a barrier between the Old City and the Xiguan Historic District, and also between Xiguan and the Pearl River waterfront. As many international examples illustrate (see page 22), closing the Renmin viaduct and reducing the car-traffic will not result in more congestion in the city : some of the traffic will redistribute on the Inner Ring Expressway West (Huangsha Dadabao) and East (Donghua Nanlu), but a large proportion of the traffic may well disappear as travel behavior changes when the environment changes. The removal or the transformation of the highway could allow the transformation of the Renmin street into a green slow-traffic pedestrian-oriented promenade-boulevard, connecting the Yuexiu Mountain to the Pearl River, revitalizing the arcades as an active, fashionable and livable street frontage. Bringing to life the traces of the former wall of the city and of the canal could be part of the restoration strategy. The new green and blue corridor would bring fresh air to heart of the city, making it more livable for residents and visitors. Many design options will need to be looked into and discussed, such as a river-boulevard as with Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon, an elevated walkway comparable to New York’s High Line or a planted pedestrian oriented main street such as Barcelona’s Las Ramblas. In any scenario, this key project has the capacity to change the face of Guangzhou, giving a clear signal of the revitalizing process occurring and bringing in new activities as well as young people back.

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Action 2 Revitalize the Pearl River The Pearl River has lost itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading role in the life of the city, especially the busy 18th to early 20th Century harbour areas between Central Guangzhou (Xiguan, Shamian and Ruyifang), the Haizu district (Baolifeng Huayang), the Liwan district (Fangcun) and even Datansha. These areas are where cantonese, sino-european and modern industrial heritage can be revitalized and recycled into hot-spots of the new creative live-work-and-play economy of Guangzhou. The potential innovative re-use of former residential, commercial or industrial buildings and structures will need to be tested with temporary urbanism and incremental user-based planning. The Pearl River banks could be activated, greened and re-natured as a biodiversity and active mobility corridor. The large water body of the Pearl River together could be opened up to urban logistics and transport passenger transport and leisure, including large boat events, dragon boat races, sailing, canoeing, floating restaurants and events, and bathing in a long term clean-river strategy. Connections and access to the waterfront will have to be improved on both sides of the river. A new major river crossing is needed between Ruyifang and Fangcun, for ecological transport modes (tramway, electric buses, bicycle and pedestrian), perhaps a large suspended bridge such as in Portland, Tehran or Bordeaux with a public viewing platform.

Plan Guangzhou

Action 3 Opening up the city towards the waterfront The riverfront area between Shamian, Zhoutouzui and the Jiefang bridge used to be the active harbor of the city, a major hub of world trade and the seat of Cantonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former wealth. This is the area where the commercial and maritime story of Canton-Guangzhou can be told, with the help of a people-oriented re-use of buildings, a revitalized pedestrian waterfront plaza, and the activation of the water edge and the water body iself, in connection with the incremental regeneration of the riverfront hinterland (see the Pearl River Route article on page 40).

Action 4 Integrate cultural and natural urban systems in a resilient Xiguan district The Xiguan district of Guangzhou retains a distinctive character moving on from a cultivated flood-plain to a prosperous residential and textile-producing quarter outside the Western City gate of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and then to the ageing and declining neighborhood of today. The unique urban and architectural heritage organised along the former river system, the green structure and the good transport accessibility provides the area with good livability assets and a high potential for an creative revitalization. However, this area remains isolated and landlocked : itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future relies in the improvement of physical connections and programming synergies with the City Center, the Huangsha, Rifuyang, Shamian and Wenhua waterfronts, as well with the natural green and blue networks. (see the Xiguan Route article on page 54)

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Urban regeneration: A turning point in China Interview with Dr Shi Nan, Urban Planning Society of China (UPSC) Silja Tillner & Jens Aerts

Dr. Shi Nan is Senior Planner and Secretary General of the Urban Planning Society of China (UPSC). He has worked with major international organizations such as the World Bank, UN-Habitat, the UNDP, British Council and the Rockefeller Foundation. His 30-year career in the planning area has focused on policy analysis and city master planning, which makes him the perfect person for us to interview and understand the recent interest of the Chinese government to invest in urban regeneration and heritage.

Contemporary China and its urban development policy have first of all been associated with GDP growth, and then took up the challenge of sustainability in terms of environmental protection. Recently, the cultural factor has become a new topic. What caused this change in thinking that puts higher emphasis on heritage and urban generation? The cultural factor has become a fundamental driving force in addition to the economic and other factors, as the city itself is seen as a cultural phenomenon. The city is not only associated with the logics of the global market, but also with the people, their memory and their aspirations

towards the future. A whole generation of people has been moving to the city to find a job and a better life. Unfortunately, we somewhat forgot about the importance of urban culture to respect the past and to innovate at the same time. So you will see many cities in China that have developed an international style but literally look alike with regard to architecture, landscape and streets. Their citizens have forgotten where they come from and what the real identity of the location is. Luckily, people now realize the importance, because it helps them formulate and shape a unique identity. We are Cantonese, or we are Chinese, because of this cultural identity, not only the manufacturing and trade characteristics. I personally think it’s part of our genes and something in the blood of all people globally. People can tell where you are from and who your ancestors were; not every city reflects these traces of identity anymore. So as for Guangzhou, it is key to understand that somebody goes there, not only for food or for the city center, but above

all because of its history. Guangzhou is different from other cities. This is something immaterial that lies underneath and is part of the city’s genes.

Translating history and heritage in a contemporary way depends on knowledge, but above all starts with awareness. Can you explain the current level of awareness and capacity? There is a growing awareness, especially among the professionals and academics who realized the importance of this topic. But not everyone has realized that culture is important, so you will see many things that go wrong. The general public does not value this heritage. They say: “This is an old building, why is that important?” The demolishment of heritage is happening all the time.

Plan Guangzhou

People are so eager to change their lives and live in buildings that have all the modern facilities. You can’t blame them for looking for a better life. But professionals and academics recognize the importance of raising awareness and provide technical and socially acceptable solutions. They preserve the tradition and protect the heritage, while also improving their lives.

Is there a particular ambition for Guangzhou to be at the forefront of this issue in China, or does it have a particular advantage? Several cities have launched a plan to protect heritage and regenerate their cultural and historic center, but Guangzhou and the whole Guangdong Province have done quite a few things in this regard. They have a provincial heritage road that identifies all the historical traces and connects within or to other cities. Within the province of Guangdong, the city of Guangzhou has a special historic importance as a harbor city that used to be the region’s capital for a long time. The remaining historical heritage is abundant compared to other cities, also because it is a provincial capital. So Guangzhou is a role model for other cities. Guangzhou also has the most

powerful social mobilization capacity thanks to the many professional and social associations, the professionals and the universities. Xiguan and the Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral are two historic areas in the city center within the scope of this UPAT and already subject of intense research in the past years. After the production of all these ideas and scenarios we need some kind of decision. Therefore, the opinion of this UPAT team of international and domestic experts is important for the local decision makers, particularly to make a definitive urban regeneration plan for the district.

What are the main challenges that the urban regeneration plan should address?

There has to be clarity on what, where and how heritage, and the physical environment more broadly, should be protected, restored, renovated and re-used. Some buildings are deteriorating so fast, while inhabitants move out. Some of the buildings do not correspond to usual standards and adaptation can be difficult, in terms of height, accessibility and energy. We are not only talking about the physical environment, but also about the economic revitalization. We have to bring new functions to the city

Model of the historic city in the Guangzhou Exhibition Center

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center, such as new types of businesses, creative industries, quality education and other local services,. We need new investments to support a social and demographic transformation. Some people have lived there all their life, but the younger generation is moving out because they want a better quality of life or live closer to their job that is not necessarily available in the center. At the same time, people are renting their houses, which means people who live there as renters, do not invest in the maintenance and do not appreciate the building’s value and its environment. If you are the owner of the building and stay there, you take good care of it and really value all the building characteristics. But if you are only renting, it is different. Urban regeneration is not only about heritage but also about the economic, social and physical facilities that have to be provided to improve living standards and meet contemporary demands. Within that broad ambition, this UPAT allows to focus on the historic routes as spines of regeneration and show how to integrate all the scattered dots of projects. A pure focus on tourism to attract more people should be avoided, because what is good for the tourists is not necessarily what the local people need.

Guangzhou is a city with a lot of tourists and they obviously visit the city center. Does the regeneration plan has to respond to their aspirations? Or does Guangzhou wants to support in the first place the local people We need something to identify with, to find out what the Guangzhou spirit is. You can’t represent yourself with a foreigner who is an outsider and does not relate to this history like the local residents. They can be really proud, because they are Cantonese and live here, their ancestors were here, this is their house. Rather than hotels, I would like to see guesthouses, where inhabitants can host tourists and show them about the unique heritage in the historic center.

I would be very careful to analyze and recognize original local economic activities. There are different types of businesses. Some of them are traditional handicrafts or small manufacturers that could also be part of modern life. You don’t have to change everything. The plan could be to improve the infrastructure and social services and then repair the social structure and bring back more permanent residents, which also means inheriting some of the traditions, local industries and traditional jobs. We have to allow for modernization so that new life can take place. It has to be an integration of the traditional and the contemporary.

To renovate heritage, there is often the challenge to respond to the need to make buildings more energy efficient. What instruments foster innovation and motivate building owners to renovate their buildings and make them more energy efficient in China? The needed capacity and resources for energy efficiency are a problem. Most of the renovations cannot be done by the individual owners, but only by developers or real estate agencies. Their advantage is the access to the markets of innovative technology or the provision of services. I don’t know yet what the city itself can offer in Guangzhou, but other cities are encouraging the owners to become part of the process. The government provides grants, as long as you keep the traditional façade and use certain materials.

In Guangzhou it is very clear they want to become more important as a global player together with Macau, Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Do you feel that this discussion about history and culture is also essential to be able to compete on a global level?

Guangzhou is a city open to the outside, so it has been very strong economically to attract all the employment. People are coming to Guangzhou for jobs. Then they recognize the unique cultural aspects, since one of the most important things people in Guangzhou identify with and that differentiates them from Shenzhen or Hong Kong is their 2,500-year history. The ancient tombs for example are magnificent! People also enjoy the new cultural infrastructure like the opera house that has a global exposure and architectural signature. There is also the local Cantonese opera museum with all the costumes and their history. I was surprised last time I visited it, seeing so many enthusiastic children and volunteers that said they just like working part-time and helping promote culture. A considerable part of the population really likes the history and the traditions. Local decisionmakers, the city and the district realize that this is something they did not only inherit from history, but that they could cultivate and help shape the future with. I think this is something different from Hong Kong and Shenzhen, which are Guangzhou’s two major competitors. Within the metropolitan city network, Shenzhen and Hong Kong organize together the Shenzhen Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture, a biennial exhibition that lasts three or four months. The festival is a great new venue, but they don’t have a past like in Guangzhou, where you can experience a tremendous history physically within the city.

How do you build the capacity amongst urban planners? Do you think that the urban planning association of China could develop tools to teach local urban planners, for example? The Urban Planning Society of China invests a lot in professional education, with training programs and sessions devoted to cultural aspects during our regular conference meetings. We even have special national

committees, in particular the Historical Preservation Committee and the Urban Regeneration Committee. In terms of professional education, UPSCis part of the National Board for Planning Education as well as the National Accreditation Board for Planning Curricula. We encourage universities to provide training on culture, heritage and all the communication and evaluation skills. At the same time, we are active on social media and feed our website. We tell our audience of more than 100,000 followers that cities are about culture and life, and not only about buildings and roads.

Apart from the infrastructural challenges and the capacity building, there is also the process of engagement with stakeholders, which is something urban planners struggle with, because they are used to making technical plans. Exactly. On the project level, I would say, we have the clients —either it is a city government, an agency or a large developer—and then we have the local residents. So urban planners have to understand they work together with all these groups, as technical mediators, sometimes arguing and debating, in order to disseminate the value of the culture and history of the cities. In order to be able to talk to the developers, service providers and citizens, there needs to be regulations and standards. There is a national inspection board, a public agency affiliated to the national ministry. They monitor the local government, the local developers, to see if any damage happened to the historical fabric, particular those structures on the national list, Once properly trained, our urban planners could be part of those working groups visiting the sites, making the evaluation, providing technical service, and ensure supervision and inspection.

Plan Guangzhou

Urban Climate Change Resilience An urban systems approach to planning Oesha Thakoerdin & Fan Jing

The city of Guangzhou emerged among mountains and rivers, based on the principles of Feng Shui.1 The so-called 9 mountain dragons run into the Pearl River Delta, that consists of an extensive river system, with the Pearl River itself being China's third-longest river of 2,400 km. Developing a strategy for urban regeneration is thus not only a matter of the re-use and transformation of human-made heritage, but also of the maintenance of the continuity of natural and cultural resources on the level of the entire city center and on the level of the districts and its cultural routes. Especially in the context of climate change that affects noticeably Guangzhou and the whole Pearl River Delta, it is worth to look at global practice on Urban Climate Change Resilience planning, what are entry points, which capacities a resilient city requires to be able to absorb future shocks and stresses. Systems Thinking Urban Climate Change Resilience (UCCR)2 embraces understandings of and approaches to climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR), while recognizing the complexity of rapidly growing urban areas and the uncertainty associated with climate change. This approach places greater emphasis on considering cities as dynamic systems capable of evolving and adapting to survive and even thrive in the face of shocks3 or stresses4 , and asks for a systems thinking approach. The systems thinking acknowledges the intrinsic interconnection between the different elements of a system while also understanding that change in a system is shaped by feedback processes that are non-linear and unpredictable. In fact, it is the implications of systems thinking for enhancing UCCR that allows to break out of narrow sector compartments, working across scales of governance, and beyond immediate administrative urban boundaries, while designing resiliencerelated interventions and analyze the relationships,

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feedbacks and interconnections between different sectors, scales and regions. The UCCR concept focuses on the scale of the city and those within it, and considers the city a dynamic system that can evolve and adapt to climate-related shocks and stresses. Urban resilience to climate change describes a city that is resilient on three levels: 1. The systems of the city survive climate-related shocks and stresses; 2. The people and organizations are able to accommodate climate-related shocks and stresses into their day-to-day decisions; 3. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s institutional structures continue to support the capacity of its people and organizations to fulfill their aims. In building resilience the resilience interventions will respond to three key questions: 1. How does the city work (the urban systems)? 2. What are the direct and indirect impacts of climate change (climate change impacts)? 3. Who is least able to respond to shocks and stresses (vulnerable groups)?

1. How does the city work? Urban Poverty Reduction

Urban Climate Change Reduction

2. What are the direct/indirect Impacts of climate change?

Disaster Risk Reduction

3. Who is the most vulnerable to shocks and stresses?

Urban Climate Change Resilience Framework (Source: ADB. 2014. Urban Climate Change Resilience: A Synopsis)

In building resilience the Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund (UCCRTF)5 of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) developed 7 UCCR Guiding Principles and 7 Entry Points to UCCR. UCCR Entry Points These seven entry points need to come together in contextually relevant combinations to strengthen UCCR instead of being treated as isolated sectors of activity. Certain cities may have made more progress on some entry points than on others, revealing the need for customized solutions based on local factors. The entry points are: 1 - Data, Information, and Knowledge on Urban Growth and Climate Change. Generating, sharing, and regularly updating data, information, and knowledge on how urban growth interacts or will interact with potential impacts of climate change is a first step for enhancing a city's ability to strengthen UCCR. Informing UCCR actions requires data, information, and knowledge on natural and physical exposure and social

and economic vulnerability of people and assets to climate change-related shocks and stresses. 2 - Tools and Approaches Used for Urban Planning. Forward-looking urban planning tools, such as land use planning and development planning that allow adopting integrated, inclusive, and reflective approaches, provide a comprehensive and sustainable route to enhancing UCCR. 3 - Development Processes Associated with Urban Infrastructure and Services. Development processes associated with urban infrastructure and services, including water and sanitation, energy, transport and telecommunications, ecosystems, built environment, and health and social services, can strengthen UCCR by instituting new processes to ensure their organizational systems support resilience and recognize the interconnections among sectors. Combining structural and nonstructural changes builds in robustness, redundancy, and flexibility to cope with shocks and stresses.

Survey map of Canton (1907)6

Plan Guangzhou

4 - Institutional Capacity for Urban Development. Cities will be able to enhance UCCR only when the individuals and institutions charged with managing cities have the right capacities to do so. Individuals and institutions within city governments often know the city intimately, and building their capacity is critical for bringing UCCR to life. 5 - Community Development Processes in Urban Areas. Community development processes that allow capturing diverse perspectives of communities, especially the perspectives of the most vulnerable, are essential for enhancing UCCR. Community-level resilience planning can enhance the capacity of marginalized urban communities to understand the drivers of risk and vulnerability and to determine local actions for strengthening resilience.

6 - Tapping the Private Sector in Urban Areas. The private sector is one of the main engines of economic growth and a driver of wealth creation and physical expansion in urban areas in recent decades. As such, there are huge potential gains from involving the private sector in UCCR, both for the profitability of businesses themselves and for the wider resilience of the urban area. 7 - Catalyzing Finances. Operationalizing the preceding six entry points will inevitably require financial resources. Enhancing the ability of urban areas to access and absorb streams of funding to implement actions of enhancing resilience to climate change is the final entry point that requires close examination. Catalyzing finance is key to the success of UCCR and includes finances available from different scales of governance

Seven entry points to Urban Climate Change Resilience.

Analyzing Vulnerabilities Given its coastal geography and population density, Guangdong Province is among the most vulnerable of China’s coastal provinces. Cities in the Pearl River Delta are particularly susceptible to natural disasters and climate change as these urban areas concentrate population, infrastructure, and economic activities. Rainstorms and typhoons occur frequently in the region and typically cause serious damage and huge economic losses. The OECD Report Ranking of the World’s cities most exposed to coastal flooding today and in the future, Guangzhou is in the top 5 of most affected, based on present-day exposure. Resilience interventions In the process of increasing resiliency, a city needs to develop capacities to absorb (future) shocks and stresses and to ability to bounce back from the impacts of the caused damages. The resilient city focuses on the following resilience interventions increasing the resilience of its assets and citizens: • Forecasting and early warning systems to increase emergency preparedness of governments and their citizens; • Infrastructure system including grey infrastructure

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• • • • • • • • • •

and green infrastructure (combining hard and soft infrastructure measures) to absorb floods and droughts; Advanced drainage systems with storm water systems that help channelling floods; Efficiency sewage systems that avert the outbreak of water borne diseases; Availability of clean drinking water after extreme climate events; Effective waste disposal and treatment techniques preventing choking of drains; Transportation systems including emergency infrastructure facilitating evacuation of citizens; Renewable energy systems providing back up power during outages; Building design solutions that reduce damage caused by climate events; Health care services equipped to public health emergencies; Food systems in the city (storage and distribution) equipped to provide after extreme climate events, especially to the vulnerable and poor communities; Better coping capacities of communities and citizens, especially of the vulnerable and poor communities.

Urban Resilience Planning One of the UCCR entry points for enhancing a city’s resilience to climate change shocks and stresses is integrating urban climate resilience in the urban planning process of a city. A city needs resilience strategies or plans, or by prioritizing resilience in city’s master plans and sector-specific plans, which are based on the analysis of the vulnerabilities of the city, both assets, areas and of its communities and citizens. Then, based on these assessments and planning activities, the city can identify phase-by-phase infrastructure and noninfrastructure projects strengthening resilience.

Notes The term feng shui literally means “wind” and “water,” and is all about balancing the energy of one’s environment to reach the highest form of quality of life. 1

Urban Climate Change Resilience (UCCR) is the capacity of cities to function, so that the

people living and working in cities, particularly the poor and vulnerable, survive and thrive in the face of shocks and stresses related to climate change. Asian Development Bank, Urban Climate Change Resilience: A Synopsis, ADB, 2014. 3

Shocks are acute natural or human-made events threatening major loss of life, damage

to assets and a city’s ability to provide basic services. ADB. 2017. ADB Resilience Academy Workshop Manila Glossary. 4

Stresses are chronic (ongoing or cyclical) natural or human-made events rendering the

city less able to function and provide basic services ADB. 2017. ADB Resilience Academy Workshop Manila Glossary. 5

The Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund (UCCRTF) administrated by the Asian

Development Bank (ADB) is a $150 million multi-donor trust fund, supported by the Governments of the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Illustrating the City's Cultural Context: Past and Current Atlas of Guangzhou by Guangzhou Land Resources and Planning Commission and Guangzhou Urban Development Archives, 2010. 6

Urban Resilience Assessment

Urban Resilience Planning

3 Urban Resilience Investment Programming

Urban Resilience Engineering Design

Urban Resilience Implementation

Resilience interventions in building city’s resilience (Source: ADB. 2018. Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund)

Plan Guangzhou

Urban regeneration in Beijing Interview with Cao Yujun, Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning and Design Institute Silja Tillner

Cao Yujun, Vice Chief Urban Planner at Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning and Design Institute was one of the national experts that joined the UPAT Guangzhou and is an experienced engineer and planner in Beijing. The collaboration was a perfect occasion to ask his view on the topic of turban regeneration in Beijing and other places in China.

Can you say a few words about what your responsibility normally is in Beijing, but also your experience in this workshop.

In my planning institute I have a big team of 120 planners, and I am one of a few people who evaluates urban plans and detailed plans. I was invited by Shi Nan to participate in this workshop and I think it is interesting. I thought it would be an opportunity to take some days off from my daily work and focus on one thing at a time. When I am at my regular job I worry about everything. First of all, when I saw the task we were assigned as UPAT team, I was a little bit worried, because the work seemed so hard. In China, this type of work can take us three months or more, because the task is so complicated. As things went

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on, I realized what we should do–not focus on the details, but use our time to come with new ideas and think strategically. A lot of plans were already made for the historic center. As outsiders that are here only 5 days we cannot define the culture of heritage policy in Guanzhou, but we show the local experts what is unique about their culture. Someone from outside can perhaps feel the real thing. Because everybody inside sees it every day and just gets used to it. What we can do is bring them to the point where they think about the culture.

Can the new way of thinking about the value of Guangzhou’s historic buildings and heritage support our efforts and can this innovative approach become a model for the rest of China? I think the historic buildings are important in all Chinese cities. The main problem is not the protection of historic buildings—which is easy with money from the government— but how to use them. If they stand there unused, they are just symbols. Most of the protected historic buildings are used as museums for tourists, like the Forbidden City. Any function such as offices or small coffee shops is forbidden by Chinese law. But I think a museum is not enough. We don’t need so many museums. We recently built several new museums, like the Chinese Opera Museum. We must use historic buildings for something else. A temple was just renovated in Beijing and re-used as a restaurant. The designer’s view may differ from public opinion. In Beijing we face the same challenge; we are always asked to go back in time, maybe to the Ming Dynasty or after the liberation. But that is not the point, because the whole environment has changed and we cannot go back anywhere. We are trying to analyse the problem from another perspective, just as you said, more from a functional one; we have to look from another angle to decide if is it right or not. Culture is not isolated, but related to a lot of things.

How could the building owners be convinced that they should renovate their buildings or allow new uses? We saw all these warehouses, how could the government convince the owners to change the usage?

In China, the land always belongs to the nation and not to the individual. The house might be yours, the land not. But maybe the government can guide the whole community into a new direction with investments in public facilities (schools, landscape, hospitals …) That could trigger private investments, because repairing houses is costly and if you can’t rent the house to a small restaurant or coffee shop, you can’t get any money back. So nobody is willing to repair them. If you offer an economical way, they will do it, because the Cantonese are good business-people ... so if they have a chance, they will use it. Right now they don’t have a chance, so the government could make a new policy with incentives for investment. Regarding regulations, it is not so difficult to change them. The original zoning was always residential, but now mixeduse is allowed. A change from residential to commercial use is easy, because commercial use doesn’t require any public facilities, schools, etc. Business apartments are similar to office uses.

A main element we highlighted in the UPAT workshop is the revelation of the perimeter of the old city, that was previously walled and that is now invisible due to the existence of the Renmin Highway.

In a way the absence of the wall around the old city highlights the opportunity to show the city center of Guangzhou which is much larger than the historic center. In Beijing, Xian and other cities in the north, the wall is seen as very important, as they are not such open cities. Guangzhou is very open, and a re-use or destruction of the elevated Renmin highway infrastructure would be a symbol of the openness. It is also an issue that is important to discuss and argue about, because it is a strategic element for a shift towards sustainable mobility and the reduction of car traffic within the city center. We are always talking in general about a car-free city. It is convenient, quiet, safe and healthy. But we never get to the detail and try to cut any traffic connection, because there we face the problem we are trying to solve. That’s the problem of all cities; they talk about it on a general level, they want a city for pedestrians only , but when it comes to street-level, politicians usually get afraid. But Guangzhou could show here the example for whole China, because if all the cities decide to follow this example, China could be faster than Europe. Historic Center of Beijing

Plan Guangzhou

Pearl River District Celebrating the city at the river Silja Tillner, Jens Aerts, Xue Liying, Liu Mengyun, Long Xuan, Cao Yujun

Historic picture of the Pearl River Route

The Pearl River today

The cultural route along the Pearl River is one of the backbones for revitalization of the city center. The river is the heart of the city, and the river embankment will serve as an attraction and a starting point for downtown visitors.

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In this article we will look at the existing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats that exist along theriver, and how these relate to the regeneration objectives ofthe city. We then go on to look at recommendations forinterventions which could be implemented, under a numberof different themes, to help to improve the routes and spacesalong the River, putting it at the heart of a new integrated Pearl River District. In order to understand the area we visited the riverside a number of times, at different locations and times of day, to see how the area was used. Based on our observations we undertook a 'SWOT' analysis looking at Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats that exist there.

Barriers

Views

屏障

Landmarks屏障地标 Barriers

Views Gateways 视廊

Landmarks

Gateways

地标

门户

视廊门户

Paths

路径 Intervention Areas 人路径

Intervention Areas 人流密集区

Swot Analysis

SWOT After having visited the site at several hours of the day, we performed a SWOT analysis. Strengths reveal opportunities, weaknesses could become threats. STRENGTHS Guangzhou still possesses a historic area of highest cultural importance with an abundance of heritage buildings and the Pearl River waterfront. It has good access with public transportation (metro, bus, ferry), hosts a variety of uses, and features beautiful views. There are a lot of landmarks. WEAKNESSES Inappropriate uses of historic buildings include storage inside and in front of the entrances, and accelerate the decay of the sensitive structures. Furthermore, storage uses attract deliveries, clog the narrow streets in the historic core, and lead to further decay of the buildings and the adjacent public spaces. Visual and physical barriers are created through elevated streets, blocked views, as well as pedestrian traffic. There is a lack of public open space and the few existing spaces, mainly along the waterfront, are not sufficiently equipped with landscaping, shading and street furniture. The quality of life does not respond to the needs of modern life; as a consequence, the demography of the population in the historic core is aging and a lot of young people are moving away. Landmarks are disconnected and fragmented due to the prevalence of barriers created by elevated streets, such as Renmin Highway.

OPPORTUNITIES They arise in the public realm by removing barriers and supporting the continuity of pedestrian paths, expanding and widening the Pearl River waterfront, as well as improving public spaces at public transportation hubs. In public and private sector development a mix of old and new uses (creative industry, start-ups, tourism, commercial, hotels) appear and the renovation and reuse of the heritage buildings become central in urban regeneration projects, building upon the awareness of protecting buildings and views. THREATS Traffic will increase, as well as low-value uses. Heritage buildings will fall in further disrepair, together with a continuous deterioration of the quality of life in general. More young people will leave if the quality of life does not improve. Based on this analysis of the visual form, we developed a visual image map for the built environment in which we identified nodes, landmarks, paths, edges and barriers. Understanding the visual quality of the historic city is the prerequisite to develop proposals which address the raised issues and are directed at strengthening existing qualities and mitigating the deficits.

Plan Guangzhou

3 2 1

Themes along the routeConnect across History Park Foreign settlement Renmin Bridge

Maritime History Trade with the world

1 Historic Park Foreign settlement

Canton Custom House Clock Tower

Themes For Urban Regeneration & The Historic Routes We identified three themes when developing the concept for Themes For Urban Regeneration & The Historic Routes the We route: identified three themes when developing the concept for the route: The first theme deals with retracing the history along the cultural Shamian Island, the The firstroute themefrom deals with retracing the“History history Park,” along the the area of the former settlement, then“History proceeding along cultural route fromforeign Shamian Island, the Park,” the the to the former harbor then area,proceeding where maritime areariverfront of the former foreign settlement, along history of worldwide washarbor written,area, finallywhere leading to the the riverfront to the trade former maritime story continuous powerful economic historyofof worldwidelandfill trade for wasthe written, finally leadingcenter. to the story of continuous landfill for the powerful economic center. Secondly, the concept addresses the topic of connectivity and the necessary improvement linkages pedestrians Secondly, the concept addressesofthe topic for of connectivity and This meant to better of connect across the Renmin and cyclists. the necessary improvement linkages for pedestrians Bridge, reduce themeant dividing of Renmin Highway, widen and cyclists. This to impact better connect across the Renmin and upgrade promenade on theHighway, embankment, Bridge, reducethe thewaterfront dividing impact of Renmin widen and define attractive pathspromenade along theonalleys towards the and upgrade the waterfront the embankment, Cathedral. and define attractive paths along the alleys towards the Cathedral. Thirdly, the concept also reveals the culture of Guangzhou in general, theconcept Pearl River in detail, Thirdly, the also route revealsand theadjacent culture ofareas Guangzhou in and the improvement of route the quality of life. The revitalization general, the Pearl River and adjacent areas in detail, of the Cathedral andrevitalization Pearl River andthetheneighborhood improvementbetween of the quality of life. The entails the development of concepts for possible reuseRiver and of the neighborhood between the Cathedral and Pearl incentives upgrading the neglectedfor buildings. entails thefor development of concepts possible reuse and incentives for upgrading the neglected buildings.

40 46

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Powerful Economic center

Culture and Quality of life

3 Oi Kwan Hotel

Sacred Heart Cathedral Area

Recommendations And Strategy Based on the visual And image map, we developed proposals Recommendations Strategy to improve thevisual visualimage qualitymap, of the city. Based on Based on the wehistoric developed proposals our analysis,the we visual addressed theofraised functional to improve quality the historic city.deficits Basedand on developed proposals to overcome them. our analysis, we addressed the raised functional deficits and developed proposals to overcome them. An example for the strengthening of existing qualities is the proposal to improve the effect of landmarks by connecting An example for the strengthening of existing qualities is the them with to theimprove gateways, the ferry, metro andbybus stations. proposal thei.e., effect of landmarks connecting An example the mitigation deficits is and to remove some them with thefor gateways, i.e., theofferry, metro bus stations. of functional physicalof barriers, the An the example for theand mitigation deficits isintoparticular, remove some elevated highway atand Renmin Roadbarriers, and the in elevated rampthe to of the functional physical particular, the Swan highway Hotel. at Renmin Road and the elevated ramp to elevated the Swan Hotel. Connectivity and Linkages We analyzed current pedestrian and bicycle paths, but there Connectivity and Linkages are interruptions for pedestrians we want overcome and We analyzed current pedestrian and bicycletopaths, but there create new connections for the pedestrians cyclists along are interruptions for pedestrians we want and to overcome and the river along theforroute to the Cathedral, Shamian create newand connections the pedestrians and cyclists along Island, Renmin Road and entry the river and along the the route to points. the Cathedral, Shamian Island, Renmin Road and the entry points. Important entry points, e.g., metro stations, the ferry terminal and bus stations, should special attention and be Important entry points, e.g.,receive metro stations, the ferry terminal redesigned. and bus stations, should receive special attention and be redesigned.

Strategy Map

Open Space Open space measures are very important to improve the quality of life. The strategy is, on one hand, to create more open space by reorganizing the public realm and shifting space from the vehicular traffic to the slow moving traffic. On the other hand, existing open spaces shall be renovated and pgraded to better meet todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs. New open spaces should respond to existing open spaces, e.g., the Cultural Park or Shamian Island, and connect with them, especially with the riverfront, which will be enlarged and widened to create a continuous green open space. History The skyline of the north side of the Pearl River is very interesting: The colonial history is told on the left, while the skyline and the river embankment tells the history of the modern city. We want to tell the history of the city along the river walk embankment. The historic original trade harbor was at the waterfront where the Canton Customs building Oi Kwan Hotel

Plan Guangzhou

Open Space Map

Telling the history of Guangzhou Existing green open space, park Existing public open space, square Existing water (river, canal) Future green open space, park, no cars Metro station Upgrade, new design of open space Future open space Alleys, arcade streets as open space spines, pedestrian-friendly streets, cars allowed, reduced lanes Future water (opened canal) Future floating docks

We not only want to recreate the history of the harbor in the first row, but also recount what happened in the city behind the waterfront in the second row, e.g., the Cultural Park where the first Canton Trade Fair was held. Moving east, the history is about the continuous landfill as a result of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development and the portrayal of daily commercial life.

Network of Public Spaces and Urban Mobility In order to create a pedestrian network and a network of new public open spaces, we addressed urban mobility and proposed a downgrading of certain streets to a lower street hierarchy. For example, in order to facilitate continuous pedestrian movement along the river the space has to be widened so that a high quality promenade will be possible. The necessary space can be gained by reducing vehicular traffic and removing driving lanes.

Existing Alley in Sacred Heart Cathedral Area

Concept of the Alley in Sacred Heart Catheral Area

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Main Road Secondary Road Tertiary Road Alley Elevated Road Autonomous Car Road Pedestrian Path Park

Concept of a Network Map of Public Spaces and urban Mobility

The alleys, which were historically used to transport water from the Pearl River to the city center, have a human scale and harmonious proportions of width to building heights. Therefore, the proposal for these alleys includes a pedestrianfriendlydesign with seating, landscaping and transparent ground floor faรงades to encourage an interaction from inside and outside.

Shamian Island

Future Changdi Road Section

Changdi Road

Plan Guangzhou

Concept of New Riverfront & Renmin Road

The Concept for the Pearl River Embankment We think a very special idea is needed for Guangzhou; this is the unique story of the historic port recreated along the Pearl River embankment. There were originally seven historic piers; the proposal is to recreate seven piers for tourist or leisure activities, combined with the ferry terminal.

road and instead enlarge the embankment with walkways or floating piers. Green spaces that cannot be reached easily are currently located there and would become part of the open space network.

New riverfront at Renmin Road: It is necessary to remove Renmin Road because it is a big barrier. The removal would allow for a beautiful connection to the riverfront; the recreated historic harbor and Renmin Road would become a green boulevard; the arcade buildings would become visible; there would be trees in the center; the reference is Las Ramblas in Barcelona. The beautiful Shamian Island is now disconnected by the elevated road to the White Swan Hotel, which is not a very important road because the hotel could also be reached from the other side. The proposal is to remove the elevated Cross Section of Shamian Island

Cross Section of the Pearl River area in Changdi Area

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Concept of the Pearl River Embankment

Floating piers: After the Oi Kwan hotel the embankment becomes very narrow, so the floating piers could contribute to widening the embankment, as well as creating shade and landscaping. A detailed section was drawn to show reduced driving lanes, the promenade, bicycle lanes and the potential location for a historic ship (like the one in Portsmouth, UK).

Concept of Floating piers

Changdi Area Skyline

Plan Guangzhou

Strengthening the Mixed Use Urban Fabric City centers are automatically associated with the image of mixed uses, density and vibrant, small-scale activities. However, zooming in on specific areas like the Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral, we concluded that the large size and mono-functionality of some building blocks and the disconnection between the ground floors with dominantly wholesale functions and the upper floors impede optimal urban regeneration. The lack of permeability of building blocks explains why there is no strong connection between the Metro, the Cathedral and the river bank, despite the short distances. Moreover, the existing functions of wholesale and housing are not supported by a future-proof system of collective and interconnected programs such as residential services, sustainable mobility solutions, logistics and visitor destinations. Therefore, we propose that the city seizes the unique opportunity of the vacancy of a large building block south of the Cathedral and defines an innovative, hybrid, urban program to be piloted by the city itself in the phase of programmatic definition and economic feasibility, to be developed later on with private investors.

Sacred Heart Cathedral Area

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Sacred Heart Cathedral Area Section

Uses Share the Need for Modern Facilities

tasting?

production?

waste? product

processing?

Wholesale批发 Delivery物流

Wholesale 批发 participation? recreation? product

play?

Address the Needs Together

discovery?

quality? experience? information? church square

教堂广场

metro access地铁

Tourism 旅游

waste? information?

collective urban program 城市项目库

Health健康 Police安全保障 Working Opportunity of工作 an Innovative Urban Planning Education教育 Sleeping睡眠

Housing 居住

Services 公共服务

In this preliminary phase of the UPAT exercise, we illustrate an urban program that corresponds to the needs of the existing programs in the immediate surroundings and in that way leverages what exists and turns it into a 21st century, resilient experience: a food court and market to attract visitors and give them a unique experience, connected to the wholesaling of Cantonese food, a community, polyvalent

space for ceremonies, meetings and other events, a publicly accessible rooftop with a greenhouse to provide the needed public space for the residents, an underground storage space for the wholesaling, logistics and waste management.

Mixed Function Map

Plan Guangzhou

The voice of the city of Guangzhou Interview with Yue Sun, Guangzhou Land Resources and Planning Commission. Jens Aerts & Silja Tillner

Yue Sun, Deputy director and member of Party Leadership Group of Guangzhou Land Resources and Planning Commission, has followed intensively the mid-term and final presentation of the UPAT Guangzhou. As she is a political representative in Guangzhou, she gave insights on how the city government supports the urban regeneration of the city center.

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What do you think is the importance of the cultural revival of the historic center, its revitalisation and the identification with the sophisticated characteristics of the city? Why has this suddenly become so important, especially in Guangzhou?

Guangzhou, or Canton, has a history of 2200 years. The city center actually had never been changed for 2000 years. So it is very rare to have such an authentic city centre that never changed. In 1982 Guangzhou became one of the famous cities to be listed as a historic city in China. So each generation of leaders always has paid attention to urban development, especially in and around the historic city. For example, Sun Yat-sen, the first leader of the Republic of China that organised the Xinhai-revolution invested a lot in the city modernisation on the turn of the 19th and 20th century. In 1992 president Deng visited Southern China including Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuhai and all the Southern cities and built up a very open policy to support city center development. General secretary Xi Jinping has instructed that history and culture are the soul of the city and that we should protect the cultural heritage as well as our own lives. We must carefully protect the cultural heritage left by our ancestors so that the historical context can be inherited well. During the process of making protection plans and development strategies for the historic city we pay attention to several issues. We built up a legal framework for the protection of all these historic buildings. We set up a cultural bureau to pay attention to historic sites and buildings to achieve this kind of protection status. Recently, we paid more attention to industrial and cultural heritage at the waterfront area, in order to build up a very liveable area for the public to visit, work and live. Besides,

we pay a lot of attention to the protection and utilization of the heritage, not only for the history but also for the future. By developing themes that link specific cultural habits, we can tell a relevant story to visitors nowadays, for example the textile history factory is open to attract innovation and become a place for educational purposes, exhibitions and other activities. We want to further learn about international practice to build up all these facilities. So we sincerely hope that the UPAT is a starting point to invite more professional experts to get inside and make more efforts about all these areas.

The city center is very big, compared to other European cities. The amount and diversity of patrimony is endless and indicates that the ambition of urban regeneration has to be accompanied with strong capacity and financial support within the city government. How does the city take up this challenge? We have already had 160 million visitors, so the urban regeneration is not only focusing on tourism, but also on the provision of a better living environment for the local people. All the efforts can only be successful if they are shared and initiated together, by the government, the private developers, the volunteers and also the local people. The government should set up all the policy and regulations to support and guide the actors, to protect all heritage and give it a new

life. The government spends a lot of effort on the protection plans and the investments in the public space and services. Currently, we invest in drainages and pavement. We have made a three-year action plan, with more than 200 projects and an annual budget of 1.2 billion Yuan. But this investment will not be enough, so the government is also keen to attract private investors to participate.

Guangzhou is known to be an open city, oriented towards the sea, trade, international collaboration. This global exposure is reflected in many recent contemporary buildings. How will this exposure be combined with the intimate reflection in need on urban regeneration in the historic city, which requires knowledge on the culture and history of China? The government invites a lot of experts to gather different views and also criticize plans that were developed for specific projects. We want to continue to work in models of joint venture, to have foreign teams to work together with the local planners. We sincerely hope to learn from Europe, the United States and also Japan. I just visited St. Petersburg and Vienna and recognize their practice in heritage protection and urban regeneration. We also work with other cities in the Province to build up knowledge together. Last but not least, it is crucial that the debate also includes the owners of patrimony and the local people that will use it day-to-day. That is why we go to the public and listen to them at the beginning of the process.

Plan Guangzhou

Vienna River and Gürtel Boulevard Cultural Mile Silja Tillner

The two references from Vienna are selected because they have a lot in common with the cultural routes in Guangzhou. They are both organized in a linear way. The Vienna Valley borders the Vienna River; URBION, the Urban Revitalization project, stretches along a 6-km-long busy inner-city highway, the Gürtel ring road. The Vienna Valley, extending 14 kilometers from the western city limit to the east, offers an interesting cross section of various Viennese urban landscapes, linked by the river, accompanied by an important traffic infrastructure.

Create infopoints with free wifi

Develop and enhance green space

Cultural Mile Vienna River

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A comprehensive planning analysis defined urban typologies and characteristically similar sections of the Vienna River, thereby dividing the study area into manageable areas. In each of these sections, critical areas of intervention were selected. Vienna Cultural Mile The “Cultural Mile” theme of the Vienna Valley Urban Development plan was quite similar to the cultural routes in Guangzhou. The Vienna River serves as the backbone—comparable to a string of pearls—along which several important monuments are lined up and connected by the river. Moving from the western end of the area towards the city center, the Schönbrunn Palace and the surrounding gardens serve as a world-famous tourist attraction, then the apartment buildings by Otto Wagner, the Secession Museum, the Vienna Concert Hall, the Musikverein or “Golden Hall,” and many others. The plan included a strategy to reintegrate the river into the urban fabric and connect these monuments with attractive open spaces, all interconnected along the river to create a “Vienna Culture Mile” with

Create coherence between neighboring districts

Schönbrunn Palace

Vienna is a European city, well-known for its high quality of life and its rich history and heritage. But it is also famous for its high quality contemporary architecture and innovation integrated amidst monuments and remarkable public spaces and infrastructure from various ages. The two references that are described below are selected because they have a lot in common with the cultural routes in Guangzhou

Secession

Skyline Spittelau Hovering above the now-obsolete Heiligenstadt railway line and following the curve of its track, Skyline Spittelau ensures the cultural preservation of Vienna’s historic viaducts while signaling the area’s rejuvenation.

Concert Hall

Golden Hall

I m p r o v e disabled access and saftey

Market

Vienna Urbion The Vienna Gürtel ring road is the transportation backbone of the city with ten municipal districts bordering its busy lanes. For years, its traffic chaos, lack of street life and menace of social degradation were subjects of inconclusive planning projects and controversies. The historic railway

Skyline Spittelau stands as the northernmost bastion of Architekten Tillner & Willinger’s URBION project, Vienna’s revitalization of the Gürtel ring road, injecting new life into a previously maligned urban barrier. Situated at the splitting of the city’s elevated railway, the challenging site is wedged between the former Heiligenstadt track and the active Spittelau Line. The project demanded a creative solution that was simultaneously accessible to the general public as well as attractive to both the residents of the adjacent districts and daily commuters. The new four-storey element is clearly distinguished from the massive arches beneath it, creating an exciting dialogue between the old and the new.

Valley Terrace

Vienna Valley Terrace The Vienna Valley Terrace is one of the new design measures developed in the Vienna Valley Urban Development Plan that addresses the urgent localized need to provide more open public space for the densely built-up Viennese inner-city districts. Bridging over the entrenched U4 subway line, the terrace expands the existing public space directly to the edge of the Vienna River. The pedestrian and cycling routes along the south bank of the Vienna River are reconceived as a welcoming, linear public space with recreational and social qualities. The design elements and materiality, i.e., abundant planters, natural vegetation and integrated wooden seating, invite public use while also fostering a positive connection with nature and water recreation. Overall, the project creates an attractive atmosphere for urban activity and is a success with the people using it at all times of the day.

“Stadtbahn” project by Otto Wagner (today the Vienna Underground), which runs along the highway, is the primary means of access to the entire URBAN zone. At the core of the Gürtel concept was the preservation of the architectural heritage of Otto Wagner and how to address the conflicting demands of public space versus high traffic volumes. By designing transparent and connective architecture for the Gürtel median and attractive open spaces for pedestrians and cyclists along the arches, the area re-emerged as a pivotal space of interaction that once again links the outer and inner districts. Several squares were redesigned. In the case of Urban-Loritz-Platz, the square was landscaped and shaded while public transportation was improved.

Vienna

unique open spaces embedded in its historic ambiance that serve the community and offer places of rest instead of left-over spaces used for streets and parking. The upgrading of existing open spaces—isolated open spaces and parks—connects them to their surroundings. Connectivity will be achieved through the creation of green corridors and attractive paths for pedestrians which serve as a pedestrian network.

Upgrade pedestrian and bicycle network

Plan Guangzhou

Xiguan Urban Renewal Back to the Good Life Milena Ivkovic, Huang Junwei, Zhang Leyi, Zhengg Qingzhi, Bi Yu

Xiguan’s Cultural and Urban Heritage Genome Xiguan neighbourhood is a part of the Liwan district, at the west side of the historical core of the old walled city of Guangzhou. The area occupies what was before the Lizhiwan River Basin, a fertile and lush green area. Today it is a busy inner-city neighbourhood, enclosed by several major arterial roads, and with the Pearl River embankment to the south. Xiguan was a popular housing neighbourhood for rich businessmen and their families before the World War II. It was famous for its highly sophisticated commercial and cultural development, which reflected in its urban structure and architecture. The “Xiguan Big Houses” represented the unique mix of the building styles of Southern China with the elements of Western architecture. Its way of life was much admired not just because of the architecture. The specific Xiguan urban culture created its own rituals (The “Morning Tea ceremony”) its own “Xiguan dialect”, and “Xiguan Cuisine” – all symbols of the good life typical for the area.

Proximity to the river and its green banks completed the perfect framework for this lifestyle. Its inhabitants were wellknown not only for the commercial successes, but also as a progressive, own-minded and independent – the so-called “Miss Xiguan” was a symbol of modern womanhood in the Republic of China period, a fashion icon on its own, and a representation of dynamic youth culture of the area. Xiguan Today During it’s modern history and recent decades, the city of Guangzhou expanded outwards, prioritizing the development of the suburban districts. This trend has left Xiguan neighbourhood in decline, until the recent renewal efforts. During the housing reform periods (after the 1978) old houses in Xiguan were sold at discount prices. The new owners, however, could not invest enough in the maintenance and upkeep of the old building stock, resulting in the deterioration of the

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neighbourhood. The amount of inhabitants has increased dramatically, bringing extra pressure to the old street and alley infrastructure. The environmental decline followed, as well as and the introduction of sluggish industrial development. In the 80’s, the inhabitants experienced a fast evolution from the planned to market economy, which made them a vulnerable group left to survive on the economic minimum, and sometimes on their own small businesses. Those businesses are generating low revenues, but demanding a lot of space (storages, wholesale clothing and various low-end retail businesses – for example on the Longjin and Duobao roads) As the urbanisation of Guangzhou picked up the high pace, Xiguan has witnessed an influx of migrant workers, who had yet to find their own way in the dense, highly mixed urban context, surrounded with another dialect and often excluded from the present social structures.

A Fresh Look at the Xiguan Neighbouhood Since 1997, Xiguan has been regarded as a neighbourhood in urgent need of redevelopment. In the early stages of the renewal efforts, due to high resettlement costs and strict regulations on preserving the old houses and lanes, most of the private real-estate developers were reluctant to participate in the urban heritage renewal efforts. In the past decade more interest for renovation came from the market, resulting in heritage-inspired structures like the Cantonese Opera Museum and the mixed-use block around it. According to the surveys which government has conducted, the current inhabitants are more interested in participating in the heritage renewal efforts, some of them investing their own property and money in the process. Tourism has been recognized as a potential motor to lift up the neighbourhood. The different types of markets and commercial streets for

tourists are established, following the traditional patterns of the arcade streets (e.g. Enning Road) and the so-called “Chinese Shop Houses” typologies. Efforts in upgrading the environmental and ecological values of Xiguan by the government are evident – for example, the uncovering of the previously canalised and covered Lizhiwan River, and transformation of its banks in an attractive, green public space. The main weaknesses and threats in the Xiguan neighbourhood are connected with the inherited streetand-alley network. The streets and road spaces are often inadequate to accommodate both busy traffic and pedestrians, causing congestion. The abrupt demolition of some of the old blocks (happening in the ‘90es) and placing of the high-rise apartment towers has further contributed to the fragmentation of the traditional blocks. What remained of the built heritage is captured within the strict conservation regulation, making it difficult to modernize the neighbourhood and

optimize the quality of the scenery and the public space. As a result of this protectionism, many of the historical building remains closed, empty and dilapidated, because there is little interest in redeveloping them according to the current regulations. Next to the physical complexities, one of the biggest roadblocks to wider-scale renewal is the population structure imbalance. The inhabitants are aging, and young people are being attracted to work and live in the new CBD areas in the eastern part of Guangzhou, , instead of the far-west The unique heritage remains the main strength of the Xiguan neighbourhood. It reflects a wider image of the Guangzhou as a city, reveals stories about its past and gives a character and a human scale to the fast-growing, modern metropolis. If understood properly, Xiguan heritage can serve as a vital asset for future urban investments.

Plan Guangzhou

Strategies to Bring Back the Good Life The overall target of the Xiguan revitalisation can be described as â&#x20AC;&#x153;translating the past into the futureâ&#x20AC;?, and re-create the values of old Xiguan in a modern way. The four strategies, which have been formulated, are also aimed to develop a better understanding of the complex relationship between urban development and heritage management. The main question connecting all the strategies together is how to create a good base for adaptive, sustainable reuse of the heritage.

STRATEGY 1 Increasing the connectivity (lines) Right now, a great deal of the vital roads, streets and alleys in Xiguan are congested and devaluated by the low-income economies of storage and wholesales. Many of the facades of the old buildings have been transformed (panelled), since the buildings are re-purposed as a storage space. Increasing of the connectivity of different linear structures in Xiguan (the streets, the waterways, the alleys) is not only the question of re-profiling them, but seeing them as an integral heritage landscape, together with the building stock. In order to successfully achieve this integral approach, more flexibility in the approaches to heritage renewal is needed. The presence of the low-income economical activities should not be immediately banned but gradually phased-out, through creating a variety of possibilities and guidelines how to better adapt to the historical background. The historical building stock needs to be re-evaluated, in order to establish more variety in the categories of protection. More variety will enable the realisation of new building types, which can be in contrast with the traditional buildings styles, and still preserve the humanscale quality and walkability of the whole neighbourhood. By introducing strategically placed contrasting structures, the value of the heritage can be accentuated, while at the same time economical and modernisation processes of the whole linear networks are upgraded.

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STRATEGY 2 Establishment of the dynamic nodes (places) The previous efforts in urban renewal have resulted in the establishment of several new nodes, such as the Cantonese Opera Museum, Wenbi Plaza, Yongqing Lake and Liwan lake Park. These nodes have since then proved to increase the vitality of the neighbourhood and help further with the good social climate. There are several other major nodes that need to be restructured. One of those major nodes is the Metro Plaza. In the vicinity of this node there are some vital neighbourhood functions, such as a hospital and a public transport bus terminal. Lizhiwan Plaza is another major node on the Baohua road which can be upgraded with relatively little effort. This node is both a part of the re-profilation of the Baohua Road, and a part of the upgrade of the public space at the Lizhiwan River.

With a series of smaller interventions, visual clutter around the Plaza can be reduced, and the views both tot the river and to the pedestrian areas can be restored. The renewal strategy of the nodes should not stay limited only to the major ones. The fine network of smaller nodes in the neighbourhood increases the quality of the everyday life. For example, the reconstruction of the now neglected smaller square in front of the primary school (at the cross-section of Enning Road and Lizhiwan River) can be transformed into a place where parents can socialise before and after school time, when they bring or pick up their children – the so-called “kiss-andgoodbye” square.

Plan Guangzhou

STRATEGY 3 Bringing back the flow of fortune by constructing “ecology of the new economy” In the context of bringing back the good life to Xiguan, establishing of the “new economy ecology” means the creative reconstruction of the traditional “living over the store” concept, typical for many Chinese inner cities. This typology has been historically the glue between the built environment and the local urban life, incremental ingredient for the successful local economy. The new economy ecology focuses primarily on the clean, small-scaled economical activities, which can be performed within a housing block, in the vicinity or attached to a house. The use of ICT technologies allows for a lot serviceoriented activities that do not need large spaces, or produce environmental pollution. On the scale of a traditional block or an arcade street, the new economy ecology is based on the micro-zoning of the land use within the block, placing more public activities on the street side, and quite, living environments on the inner side of the block, oriented towards natural features. STRATEGY 4 Stimulate new urban renewal concepts by initiating the “experimental Xiguan lifestyle block” Contemporary approaches to urban conservation and heritage renewal are focused on promoting the concepts of the so-called “Living Heritage”. This concept is a move forward from focusing solely on dealing with the built heritage assets, towards a landscape-based

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approach, which sees the heritage as an dynamic, evolving, mixed space of both material and immaterial entities. In the Xiguan neighbourhood, the practical values of this approach still have to be proven. A way to do that is to start with an experimental transformation of a typical neighbourhood block in Duobao Road. This block can serve both as an example of the new ways in approaching the renewal, and as a initial spark for similar transformations elsewhere in the city. The direct advantage of starting with this block is that it is outside of the strict-protection zone. It has good accessibility, and is relatively close to the recently renewed and upgraded areas. The inhabitants of the block already expressed a strong wish to participate in the renovation, which can be a strong argument to use some of the governmental funds to initiate the transformation. Finally the block can showcase how to combine more flexible and innovative policies and practices on conservation with those of urban development.

Plan Guangzhou

Learning by doing Interview with Professor Shifu Wang, School of Architecture at the South China University of Technology. Silja Tillner & Jens Aerts cases illustrate that architects pioneer in new approaches in heritage conservation and are able to establish a consensus with the mayor. But the new way of working still depends mostly on individuals, both at the political and the planning side. You can still see unfortunate situations, for example house owners that refuse to list their property as heritage, because they know they will be more limited. Some even destroy their own houses before the government will nominate them as heritage

Professor Shifu Wang, Vice Dean of the School of Architecture at the South China University of Technology (SCUT) has been involved in several important planning processes and architecture projects that deal with heritage. He presented the recent change in Guangzhou in planning and heritage approaches during a salon for debate, organized with the local community and GZPI in an ancient house in the Xiguan area.

In comparison with the previous masterplans to destroy the Xiguan area, the restoration of the Yongqing Fang site is very impressive. Is this a sign of a new way of working?

I cannot say clearly if it is a structural change. The decisions of developers and government are still mainly driven by economic growth, aiming for the highest market value. In my experience, one-third of the initiated restoration projects succeed, but more than half were stopped. Some successful

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The city of Guangzhou has just recently begun to work with expert commissions that have a long-term view, are neutral and know the best practice around the world. Similar to the situation in Paris where the chief architect can reject a project. these commissions mediate between the government and the developers. I am myself one of the member of the chief architectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team for the financial district of Guangzhou. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the same power as in Paris, but more than before.

Can you explain how the process of urban planning regulations and building permits approval works in Guangzhou ?

There is a powerful urban planning committee in Guangzhou, with more than half of its members not having a position in any government department. The committee gives the final approval on plans and its regulatory descriptions, such as the Floor Area Ration or the building heights. Also, Guangzhou relies on the powerful heritage preservation committee that deals with the 56 km2 historic city, where stricter planning permissions will be enforced according to national law. If you study our regulations and policies, you will find a very refined and comprehensive set of issues to be dealt with, including protection and public participation. The problem is implementation. An unstable reform atmosphere is still leading to create new regulations, without reviewing the old ones. Why can Shenzhen be built from zero to hero? The key is that the city keeps creating a lot of new policies to support their own decision making.

Regarding the patrimony in a broad sense, it seems Guangzhou has to deal with two types of debates on heritage at the same time: historic preservation and the industrial patrimony. In Europe these debates could be dealt with separately and at different times. The reason why we started respecting the industrial heritage along with the historic city lies in the pace of urbanization that is compressed in China in a period of only 40 years, while England, Europe and the US had gone through this process for more than 100 years. We look carefully at the latest Western experience on industrial heritage protection and transformation, including the industrial landscape and brownfield revitalization. This post-industrial transformation is taking place in China now, .where the first cycle of the industrial land use is ending, many steel factories and warehouses are deteriorating and losing market value. But the relicts are still standing there, possibly in a good location with potential re-use of land and infrastructure. Moreover, the Chinese people tend to accept the aesthetic issue of the industrial heritage. When I look back to my childhood, we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t consider the factories and warehouses as beautiful things. Now it is broadly regarded as a kind of landscape creation and a design resource. In 2003, when I led a graduate design studio on the river bank redevelopment, nobody understood why we cared about the old warehouses. A few years later, they have become venues for weddings, photo shoots and classical concerts.

The shift from demolition what lost its primary use to valorization of the historic and industrial heritage has happened quickly. What do you think was the major trigger? Was it the public opinion? What has been the main driver for the change in the government?

a clear message to plan our cities in harmony with the natural environment and respecting the cultural context. President Xi also urged the Chinese government and the general public to rediscover nostalgia. Emphasizing nostalgia is more than a kind of romantic political manifesto. Recently, when I went to talk with some mayors and the local planning bureaus about the understanding of the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest statements, they told me they have initiated many projects to renovate historic sites. Since 5 years, large-scale demolishment has been stopped completely, also in Guangzhou. The local government has begun to seek continuous, incremental urban renewal processes, not radical and large-scale breakthroughs.

Does this call for nostalgia means that urban planning dealing with urban regeneration is marked as an important discipline and policy with national importance?

The reference to nostalgia is definitely a critique on the past. A major restructuring of ministries happened in 2018. The Ministry of Natural Resources has been established while the Ministries of Culture and Tourism merged. The planning function has been moved from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development to the Ministry of Natural Resource. These changes are a milestone for urban planners in China, because they will redefine the power configuration between the central and local governments. It means land resources will be controlled more strictly by the central government. The growth boundary of a city will be determined and supervised from the top. But the planning control, the urban renewal projects, the heritage preservation and the design review will obviously be kept at the local level. Professor Shifu Wang presenting to the UPAT team

About 10 years ago, many officials ignored the issue of heritage preservation and regarded it as an obstacle to economic development. Gradually and increasingly, the general public, some media, academics and organizations defined a public agenda on the topic These collective efforts had success. President Xi criticized very recently and explicitly that our cities are losing their character. This is

Plan Guangzhou

Urban Renewal in Malang From a Flood Risk Area to a Urban Renewal Pilot Project for Indonesian Kampung Luigi Cipolla

The Kampong or Kampung area, which literally means village, is found in several enclosed urban neighbourhoods in towns in Asian countries such as Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Cambodia. The Kampung has a clear and defined cultural identity recognizable by a complete social structure, design and architecture which make the whole area a target for various kinds of transformation programs and uses, such as, residential, touristic or commercial. In light of this, Asian local administrators, developers and community invested in renewal programs for the Kampung sites and to allocate stimulus packages to raise economic and environmental opportunities.

The Kampung can be considered as a modern resilient urban space nowadays. The public space has a lot of flexibility; it could be turned into a nursing area, a children's playground, a commercial shop, a parking lot as well as a mainly green public space for the community. Shortly after being sworn into office late last year, Jakarta Governor Jokowi' Widodo laid out a plan to revitalize around 100 of the city' kampungs per year, with the aim of renovating 360 kampungs by the end of his first term in office. Some good case studies provide evidence on what works and inspire to find creative solutions to merge history and modern urban culture in one site. The best known case is the Kampung Urban Renewal initiative in Singapore, whit the famous Kampung Glam site to be considered today as the city’s cultural core, Its melting pot of cultures, picturesque streets with their beautifully restored shophouses showcases a perfect balance between the Malay’s cultural heritage and modern culture.

an extraordinary “Green Movement” initiated by several actors, government officials, civil servants and community leaders led to cultural urban renewal projects. Malang is the second largest city in Jawa Timur (East Java) and it is growing with an unpredictable rate of nearly 2% per year1. Designed and planned by the engineer Thomas Karsten, Malang resulted as a unique city with a rich historical and cultural identity. Also, nature is well integrated in the city through a network of preserved parks like the ‘Hutan Kota Malabar’, surrounded and protected by a ‘Green

Green Movement Inspired by this reference, the Jakarta Governor Jokowi' Widodo aid out a programme in 2015 to revitalize around 100 of the city’s kampungs per year, with the aim of renovating the 360 historical kampungs and converting the commercial center, to reconnect the community to the city. This programme has been implemented in various Indonesian cities like the “Kampung Pelangi”, called Rainbow Village in Malang, Kampung Tridi in Malang, and later the Kampung Kali Code in Yogyakarta. One of the most uplifting community transformations recently took place in Malang, where Menelusuri-Kampong-Glam, Singapore

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presence of an informal economy and vulnerable people that face daily risks like flooding, diseases and unhealthy housing.

Glintung Go Green Community Belt’ that houses numerous cultural and educational institutions as well as the sprawling campuses in the city. Malang, alongside other similar cities in Indonesia, is struggling to find a way to plan its development in a sustainable way. Planning is faced with the existence of striking urban inequity and as a result is tackling issues such as rural-urban immigration, the lack of strong local governance structures, the sprawling of a building construction

boom, the immense challenge of the renewal of the historic cultural areas of city centres, and the risk of natural disasters near to risk-prone urban centres. With more than 303 households and 1086 people inside the area (608 hectares), which account for almost 5.5% of the whole urban area in Malang, “Kampung Glintung” is recognizable as the typical mark of a neglected urban area in the city centre. Its characteristics include isolation, lack of networking, the

Sustainable Urban Development Due to the reality of constant flooding conditions and the consequent damages to the community and buildings, the “Glintung Go Green Community”, with the support of Malang city and other stakeholders, tackled the environmental problems in a structural way, through the implementation of community-led initiatives that gave rise to one of the most participative urban renewal projects. Despite its community-led character, the project faced several constraints and issues in order to be scaled-up and to be launched to the entire city of Malang. One critical issue concerned the lack of an organizational structure of the city scale like an urban renewal agency. This was considered vital to protect and revitalize the whole city’s green and cultural urban heritage asset whilst promoting and addressing a sustainable urban development through city planning. The residents of Glintung Go Green, along with the Faculty of Engineering of Brawijaya and other partners including Malang City Government, led the initial idea to integrate the “Glintung Go Green“ project into the Water Banking Movement with the intent to scaleup the project at city scale. But, this initiative did not achieve the expected results. So, based on the interview with the Malang Planning Department and the Brawijaya University, they found that a development agency that could managed all this programme at city scale could be the right approach for the future implementation. Hence, the development agency that could manage assets and resources, effective urban governance, infrastructure delivery, policy and stakeholder coordination, was called to accelerate the shift from local planning towards a more long-term, coherent and cityscale approach. This was to ensure that policies and plans are designed and implemented in more than one dimension. The 2017 Revision of World Population Prospects 1

Plan Guangzhou

The historic city, a city of arrival Interview with Xuwei He, resident and UPAT expert Jens Aerts

2 Xuwei He (Lala) is an urban planner who studied at South China University in Guangzhou and at TU Delft in the Netherlands. She was selected as one of the Chinese members of the UPAT team, but is also a resident of the historic city of Guangzhou: a double reason to interview her and understand more about local life in the historic center.

What is the common history between you and the historic center?

As a young child we lived in housing near an old rail track connecting Hong Kong, at the east side of the old city wall. built and rented out by the China Railway Guangzhou Group to their employees. Both my parents work for the railway company. When I was 15 years old, my parents were able to buy an apartment in a tower nearby. But the historic center is large and has various neighborhoods, so my experience is a snapshot of the city and its transformation.

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The assignment of the UPAT concentrated on two old neighborhoods, rich in heritage, but also clearly in decline. Can you explain this from a socio-economic perspective?

Xi Huan and the Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral areas have both an ageing population. Many of them settled here after World War II, without revenue and education, looking for a better life. This population have lived their whole life here and has remained low-income. They worked in all sorts of local businesses and small factories, but in general did not worked up to have their own business and become houseowner. The government provided many social housing units, in new buildings or by dividing historic houses, like the Xi Huan mansions, in smaller units. There are still migrants coming, mostly male, that look for job opportunities that do not require high education, for example wholesale delivery, rent a small room in a house in the area and spend their daily life in the neighborhood. According to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hukou system, they and their family do not have yet citizenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rights, and thus have no access to basic services such as schools. Migrants children are often left in the country side with the grandparents.

What is the value of these neighborhoods for you?

Where I live, I have good access to many services in a modern neighborhood with rather new buildings and infrastructure. But the services and shops are rather mainstream and very crowded. I would go to the old neighbourhoods like Xi Huan and the Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral area to find specific products. When visiting the neighborhoods with the UPAT team, I realized how valuable the human scale of the streets and the residential and mixeduse buildings is. Paradoxically, in this arrival city dynamic with residents that have all sorts of backgrounds and might have difficulties to communicate between each other, the social interaction is high, supported by the small scale and mixed use of the historic fabric. With friends we go there sometimes for breakfast in the weekend. There is a warm atmosphere.

What is the destiny of the heritage?

Once the residents get a stable income, they move to better areas. The poorer population stays and cannot afford to renovate the old houses. The city should take the lead in these areas of the city center with qualitative investments in the public spaces, to show the qualities of the heritage and the human scale of the neighborhood. The city should also develop mechanisms to convince middle-income and younger people to invest in residential and commercial property. This requires support in terms of technical assistance and financial support for renovations. Heritage also has a software component: its inhabitants that represent all generations. Younger families with children are needed as an engine for social interaction. Children can potentially play together in these rather carlow streets, and will bring parents but also the older people together.

Would you like to live in the historic center?

Yes, I see the advantages, but it is not easy to imagine to spend money on buying and renovating an old house with valuable elements to respect in terms of heritage. Unknown renovation costs can discourage investment. Also, renovation implies specific skills in terms of design, detailing and construction. The city should support groups of individuals together to invest in several houses, so that solutions and knowledge can be developed together.

It was so nice to work with you and discover with you the historic center. What was it like to have people from all over the world in the workshop?

I have had experience of working with planners from different countries when I was doing my master at TU Delft in the Netherlands. This workshop brought back the memory of those days, working while also learning from talented colleagues and international mentors. My enthusiasm for the urban design scale was lightened up again, allowing to define strategic interventions, based on a thoughtful reading of the historic and morphological structures of the historic city . Meanwhile I was really deeply touched by the professional attitude of all the UPAT experts. With years of experiences in different urban projects, the experts fully revealed their skills during the workshop. Even in the limited time of 5 days, they insisted to revisit the sites in the evening, digest the massive background information thoroughly and present complete storylines, project intervention proposals and recommendations. Also, their presentations on their own work and case studies enriched me a lot and will be helpful for my future work. I sincerely feel lucky to be selected as a UPAT member, and the experience has been a very unforgettable memory for me as both a planner and a Guangzhou citizen.

The multi-generational patterns of daily life in Xiguan

Plan Guangzhou

The Making of Enning Road - a pilot in urban regeneration Interview with Chen Jiajian, Architect at Vanke Jens Aerts & Silja Tillner

You are what we could call an â&#x20AC;&#x153;urban developerâ&#x20AC;?: you develop projects that have to be profitable financially, but at the same time you really care about culture, history, and the quality of the architecture. How is that combination possible, in a context and modern Chinese tradition of large green developments and new building production?

Chen Jiajian is a project manager and architect with the real estate development company Vanke. Originally from Xiguan, he joined Vanke to renovate and transform the deterioriated Yongqing Fang site at the Enning Road into a unique mixed-use project.

This project is exceptional, also for us. The government invited us to invest in this historic conservation project. It is not a common urban development project. At the very beginning the government just wanted us to focus on conservation, gave us a fifteen years development horizon and forbade us to demolish any buildings because they wanted them to look like in the old days. As an architect I think the main values of this historical district are the pattern and facades. The property market in China is coming to its limits soon because the population of China has reached its peak and maybe in ten years it will decrease and the people will no longer need new houses. Then it will be more important to refurbish what we have. It is not only about new growth but also about preservation and improvement of what exists.

Although this project is still exceptional for your company, it seems forward-looking. You yourself also are young. Do you feel you bring that you bring the perspective of the future into in the company and represent the attitude of a younger generation towards the historic city and the regeneration agenda? We want to show that value is something added to economic profits. And young people want to know more about the history and what their ancestors made before them. The real

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estate sector also needs to invest in having a better image. Ten years ago, the property market was still growing fast and was valued by as the pillar of China's economy. But now everyone criticizes and hates property companies. I often receive a lot of criticism without presenting our vision, because people think all we are doing is just selling high-priced houses and making huge profits. Therefore, we also think better about what we are creating.

Your financial model is different from the traditional developer's which is which is based on building and selling to invest elsewhere. But in this project you have a long-term commitment, by keeping parts of the property and the value in the area. This project is about real compassion and we have still have many traditional development projects where we renovate property and then we sell or rent. I think the build-and-sell model is old-fashioned and will reach a limit. The population changes, we know the market is changing, and that policy has to adapt to this. If not, the development market will fail. There have been more than two hundred different local governments from all over China China who come to look at our project in only one year. I think that other property developers and universities see the opportunity here, so we will face tense competition for future similar developments. But we have the advantage of the experience.

The Chinese real estate market is known to focus on selling apartments, even to young people. Do you see an evolution to more renting?

Elsewhere, people buy their first house at the age of forty or fifty, but in China approximately at the age of 26. Everybody still wants to own an apartment, but maybe later. But China is always pursuing to adapt to the Western culture and society, therefore I think the Chinese economic situation and cities will become similar to Western models. I think the property market has its limits, so we try to explore something new. Also this project helps us to have a good reputation and the government cherishes our effort. So if there is a similar situation, they will ask us to do this type of project again. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what the future will bring, but I know this is the right direction. So this business model, in the long term, is not as good as build-and-sell in terms of earning a lot of profit, but we are a step ahead in terms of know-how in re-use and transformation of heritage.

the neighbourhood community went to the streets to protest. We then presented our ideas and plans to the government for a larger area of the whole neighbourhood. They offered us to test out on a smaller site and realized that this heritage is the value of the city. The problem is that the government had bought already more then 1,000 houses from the residents, but no one maintained them, in order to accelerate the demolishment process. The site we developed had houses that were almost all empty for approximately eighteen years and extremely deteriorated.

How do you organize the mix of uses? We visited your project and it was an interesting mix of uses and creative companies, shops and cafĂŠs.

We define the themes of retail, in this case creative industry: design or handicrafts, media, traditional or industrial culture. So if it is the right company but they cannot afford the rent, we lower it for them. The core idea of the project is also to still maintain the residential function and the local scale. We want to retain the residents and enhance the community and the buildings' structure. The original owners rented to industrial laborers but nowadays it is rented to people who work in the creative industry. In Shanghai there is a similar project, but there are no local residents anymore.

It seems to be an advantage if the city would try to be more active in buying properties and then find a developer for these mixed projects in a public/private partnership. Do you expect the municipality to be more active in that sense? The government already had the power to be active, but they always bought houses from individuals to then order for demolition for public purposes. This system cannot be copied. House prices are getting higher and the government doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the money to do things like it did before, but if it listens to the public, journalists, and professors, we have the opportunity to make things right together.

How did you convince the city to not insist on preserving everything? Was it by saying that it is a new market or because of other failures in the past of strict preservation?

In 2006, the government wanted to demolish everything. In 2010, they wanted to demolish historic buildings and build apartments. But the academics and journalists stood up. Even

Plan Guangzhou

Planning for Regeneration Ten recommendations for a unique Guangzhou Jens Aerts

The one week deployment in Guangzhou and intensive workshop format was effective in undertake in depth analytical research, assess the ongoing planning work at the city level and draft robust conceptual guidance for detailed design in the designated perimeter of the historic city center. Yet, all members of the Urban Planning Advisory Team were conscious that these proposals, described in the previous articles, only can be transformative when embedded in a broader context of urban planning practice, policy environment and stakeholder interaction. Therefore, we defined a preliminary list of 10 recommendations for the city of Guangzhou, to be considered and elaborated further with all relevant stakeholders in order to develop leadership in building the professional capacity and know-how in people centered urban regeneration for the entire nation.

These 10 recommendation are divided in three categories, to emphasize three main pillars of impactful urban planning that will be able to accommodate the realization of Guangzhou Historic & Cultural Corridors within the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cool Action Program.

But this requires also a unique set of plans that gives guidance for urban regeneration, with rather qualitative guidelines then quantitative norms. 1. An integrated city center plan By translating the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s objectives of urban regeneration in strategic interventions sites in the unbuilt and built environment, the plan helps the city to communicate its ambition towards urban regeneration in a plan of interrelated projects. The plan indicates projects in the short and midterm, in terms of public space renewal, mobility infrastructure, public buildings and key private transformations. It reflects the relations between project sites based on historical patterns in corridors and urban fabrics.

The old Xiguan district in the city center of Guangzhou Category I : Invest in urban design and city planning focusing on urban regeneration. Urban design and city planning have the conceptual capacity and visionary power to define the spatial tenets of sustainable urban development in a specific context. Much more than in the case of green field development and city expansion plans, the existing human scale, the historic layers and contextual complexity of the historic center, creates the opportunity to design sophisticated transformations that are hors catĂŠgorie.

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Historic Center Renovation Plan, Barcelona, Spain

As well it highlights the unique value of the historic center, the diversity of its various neighborhoods and its centrality in the metropolitan network, which is key to brand the historic center as the new prime location of urban transformation in the wider agglomeration. 2. A river plan The river plan builds upon previous studies and ideas of upgrading and reactivating the river banks, but synthetizes them in a consistent scheme to highlight 3 aspects of connecting the city center with the larger city agglomeration: 1. Eliminate the infrastructural and obsolete industrial barriers between the city center and the river 2. Activate the industrial heritage sites from different time period to show the river as a central spine of the city throughout its history 3. Accommodate the river and the banks as a resilient climate infrastructure that showcases innovative hydrological, ecological and sustainable mobility solutions. 3. Urban district plans The city center is large and composed by various types of districts that require tailored regeneration strategies on the scale of every district, responding to specific social and economic conditions and enabling community involvement. Every urban district plan defines emblematic places and project sites that are magnets for investments and that will leverage the regeneration of the whole district. The urban district plan defines formal public investments in public and green space, signage and furniture, but also inspires private investments in building programs and community involvement in the coproduction of low-budget pilot projects.

4. A green city plan The green plan emphasizes that the city center has an enormous potential to minimize the consumption of natural resources. The plan highlights the green and blue network landscape to be protected and nourished, by de-mineralizing surfaces and re-opening covered water streams - in particular in the Renmin street and other mountain-river corridors. The plan also indicates corridors for sustainable urban mobility where innovative mobility solutions, traditional pedestrianoriented corridors and places to rest, play and meet can be promoted. Category II : Adjust urban policies and frameworks to allow effective urban regeneration The will of the national government of China and the city of Guangzhou to invest in urban regeneration and its heritage, needs to be consistently translated in urban policies. The investment in the existing urban fabric, characterized by complex ownership structures, social patterns and heritage, requires more guidance and involvement of the public authorities in heritage policy and also other financing mechanisms to allow return on investments to be evaluated on longer term. 5. Laws and regulations on urban heritage in a contemporary urban landscape Regulations on urban heritage need to support sustainable solutions for the conservation, restoration and re-use of buildings and landscapes. Supported by a heritage plans, regulation should clarify levels restoration, depending on the age, value and transformability of the heritage to modern standards and functions. New laws on heritage can allow the city to reserve public financing to invest itself in heritage and to provide incentives for private investment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; developers and individuals in heritage and greening of building infrastructure. 6. National and subnational public investment programs for urban regeneration The common will to invest in heritage and urban regeneration needs to be translated in public investment programs. While these programs currently focus mostly on large-scale mobility infrastructure and the expansion of economic zones, fixing a higher proportion of public financing for urban generation and heritage protection is a logic step. New financial models to evaluate a return on investment on the longer term will allow the city to invest actively in public acquisition or joint publicprivate investment that will by definition not have a short term return.

Public space renewal, car reduction and street furniture explain the success of Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain

III. Capacitate stakeholders and develop knowledge in urban regeneration The process of urban planning and design is a unique opportunity to galvanize stakeholder engagement and build the needed coalitions and shared knowledge to define the complex solutions for urban regeneration. Investing in people-centered planning, knowledge exchange, capacity building and public debate are key to be able to deliver with a consistent quality in the massive amount of needed project sites and planning cycles.

Plan Guangzhou

7. A public development agency that allows the city to pilot complex developments Planning is also doing. European cities achieved successful urban regeneration projects thanks to earlier development public development agencies, that pilot public investments and private-public developments on urban regeneration in the historic center. It allows the city to ensure the development of needed public services with high quality infrastructural standards and respect for the intrinsic value of heritage. It also allows the city to attract private development investments in more complex sites and programs, such as the building block site south of the Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral, by leading the way in terms of programme definition, establishment of a financial plan for every project site and promotion of coalitions in urban development and management. 8. Heritage commissions to assist the city in evaluation of private and publicly initiated plans and projects To avoid ad hoc decision-making and to ensure quality and innovation in heritage management and urban regeneration, a Guangzhou Heritage Commission can support the city in developing heritage policies, urban generation plans and project approval processes. Composed by a proportion of external advisor with an academic, professional planning or development background, the commission will be a central place for discussion and reflection. Similar to some European cities, the city could also appoint a Chief Architect that is in charge of the designation of good architects for public space, infrastructure and building programs. Private development of public property in historic center, piloted by the Chief Architect Brussels, Belgium

Heritage and new mixed development in Groen Kwartier, Public Development and Planning Agency Antwerp (VESPA), Belgium

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9. Urban Regeneration Forum To lead in the development of an urban generation practice and be the reference for the rest of China, Guangzhou should promote the development of a center of knowledge, that can have a permanent structure, but also develop incrementally through an annual Urban Regeneration Forum, where all professionals gather to address common challenges in urban generation, sustainable urban development and heritage policy, to exchange good practice and foster innovation. The Forum and the existing Exhibition Center on Urban Development in Guangzhou will become symbol of a panAsian debate on urban culture and knowledge that has helped many other cities to develop their own expertise, educate a broad pool of talented local experts and define their own unique answer on urban transformation. 10. Support structures for community-based planning The scale and complexity of the historic center, the cultural and social value of heritage and the unique human scale of public spaces and patrimony, call for a numerous set of microscopic and sophisticated interventions. This enormous urban generation agenda makes it fundamental to support individuals and communities to play a fundamental role in its implementation. Therefore, the city has to develop a support system in its urban planning agency that provides open data platform, collaboration tools and technical assistance, to foster community-driven initiatives, multi-stakeholders engagement, co-production. This support will strengthen collective collaboration, respect for heritage and proudness to live and work together in the historic center of Guangzhou, which will become the unique reference of urban regeneration for China

Participatory planning in neighborhood contract Compas, Brussels, Belgium

Plan Guangzhou

Shaping urbanisation for children A handbook on child-responsive urban planning Jens Aerts

The XXI century is urban without any doubt. Recently, demographic growth has become a purely urban matter, with more people live in urban areas than in rural areas globally1. Cities are also the setting of many global challenges. Efforts to upgrade slums and manage sprawl have appeared to be too modest to deal with the scale and pace of urbanization, leading to an increase of slums and other types of unplanned urban development. They have limited characteristics of centrality, a poor investment climate for local economy and a lack of public spaces and sustainable transportation infrastructure2. Due to the low density and compactness of urban form in recent city developments, cities are responsible for proportionally higher energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, thereby putting stress on the environment and putting more urban households at risk3. Disasters, conflicts and displacement also happen more regularly in an urban context.

A need to adjust the current practice of urban planning The facts described above might strengthen our confidence as urban planners that this era is our time, to promote and showcase that urban planning is a key area of work towards sustainable urban development, able to mold the opportunities of urbanisation into prosperous cities, accessible for all and where human rights are fulfilled. Yet, urban planners will only contribute to this vision, well described in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda, if they are able to look back in retrospect to the recent past and acknowledge that urbanisation did not induce sustainable urban environments4,5. First of all, referring to the three pillars of sustainability, urban planning has been focusing mostly on economic growth and environmental protection but little on social equity, excelling in top-down planning that supports institutional actors and traditional economic sectors that request large infrastructural investments and functional spaces.6 Secondly, urban planning is often restricted to legal and technical matters, translated in complex land use plans and regulatory frameworks that are static, difficult to adapt and little process-oriented. Thirdly, urban planning tends to focus on the planning and design of the infrastructural component United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision, 2018. 1

Despite efforts to upgrade slums, the total numbers of slum dwellers have grown to 880 million, suffering from multiple deprivations, living without a voice nor access to land, housing and services. See for more information: United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), World Cities Report 2016; Urbanization and Development; Emerging futures, UN-Habitat, Nairobi, 2016. 2

Kamal-Chaoui L. and A. Robert, ‘Competitive cities and climate change’, OECD Regional Development Working Papers, OECD, Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate, Milan, 2009. World Bank, Investing in Urban Resilience: Protecting and Promoting Development in a Changing World, World Bank, Washington D.C., 2016. 3

United Nations, ‘UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations, ‘UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs). 4

More information on the New Urban Agenda can be found on the website (http://habitat3.org/the-new-urban-agenda). 5

The definition of sustainability is well explained in the famous Brundtland report. United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, ‘Our common future’, Oxford University PressUNWCED, 1987 (www.un-documents. net/our-common-future.pdf). 6

Various reports highlight the lack of urban planners in countries that are urbanising fast: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Global Education Monitoring Report, UNESCO, Paris, 2016; Commonwealth Association of Planners, Survey of the Planning Profession in the Commonwealth, RTPI, 2018. 7

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of urban systems – the supply side - in stead of providing human-friendly places where people can adopt healthy and safe behaviours and be empowered as full citizens. Finally, it is also striking how low the actual numbers of urban planners are in the many countries which are urbanising rapidly and how poorly urban planning is embedded in international development programs in low-income and middle-income countries.7 Plan for children, engage with communities, measure the impact for the most disadvantaged people Recognising the importance of investment in equity-based, Recognising the importance of investment in equity-based, people-centred and process oriented urban planning, UNICEF has recently published Shaping urbanization for children, a handbook on child-responsive urban planning, that addresses the four critical points mentioned above. By putting children central in the urban context, the publication in the first place aims to convince all urban planning stakeholders that investing in child-responsive urban planning is the best thing to do, not only for children but all current and future citizens.

“Children are like an indicator species. If we can build a successful city for children, we will have a successful city for all people.” Enrique Penalosa, mayor of Bogota, Colombia

The recognition of childhood as a crucial time for children to gain access to the urban setting and enjoy its advantages is key to define urban planning solutions for all ages. Also, knowing that children make up one third of the global population, the handbook focuses on tools and policies that have shown their potential to focus on and engage with children and their communities – family, caretakers, peers - in the decision making processes that affect their physical urban environment, their interaction with urban resource systems and their behaviour. In nine technical chapters - each one focusing on an urban environment component: housing, amenities, public space, mobility, water, food, waste, energy and data networks – the handbook illustrates how cities can be planned to be childresponsive, building on three potential strengths of urban planning: to provide space for children, to include children in the process of change and to develop urban policy that is based on child-specific evidence. Every chapter highlights what are the benefits for children in five benefit areas: health, safety, citizenship, environmental sustainability and prosperity. By organizing urban planning tools in three levels of complexity, planning can both have a focus on short-term results whilst laying the foundation for incremental change for the longer-term. The stepping stone approach also has a motivational aspect: every city, depending on its capacities and resources, can take a step to become more childresponsive. A checklist of 10 Children’s Rights and Urban

Planning Principles encourages every stakeholder to quickly evaluate what can be done to take up responsibilities and improve the situation of children, respecting capacities and resources. The potential leadership of China in child-responsive urban planning China is a nation with a tradition of urban planning, using it effectively as an instrument to cope with its rural-urban migration and to steer the nation’s economic growth. However, few contemporary urban development schemes feature environments with a human scale: high-rise mono-functional residential areas, car-oriented transportation infrastructure, large building blocks and wide streets with poor walkability, generating severe urban health issues like air pollution, lack of physical activity and social isolation. These characteristics do not only apply to Chinese cities, but to many other urban developments abroad that have been initiated by Chinese public institutions and private developers, in particular in neighbouring countries and in Africa. Looking at China’s prospects, in particular the ambitious Belt en Road initiative, there is an opportunity to acknowledge the flaws of previous city planning and to shape this unparalleled transnational infrastructural project as a human centred network of cities. This might be the momentum to look for news ways to develop more sustainable models of urbanization: celebrating the human scale of historic centres, like the case of Guangzhou, and focusing on people’s health and education, like the case of Shenzhen and Changsha. These two cities have invested seriously in children’s well being, the development of urban lifestyles and urban environments for children, in terms of access to integrated services like childcare, playful spaces and safe school environments. As China is aging and has applied a one-child policy until recently, children lie at the heart of society, beloved and supported as future leaders of an urbanised China. Therefore the adoption of a practice of child-responsive urban planning in China seems extremely meaningful to take the lead in developing a network of thriving and equitable cities where children live in healthy, safe, inclusive, green and prosperous communities.

Child-responsive cities: a healthy environment where children can adopt sustainable behaviours

Plan Guangzhou

UPAT

Urban Planning Advisory Teams Since 2004, ISOCARP has organised 26 UPAT Workshops in Singapore, China, Mexico, USA, the Middle East, South Africa, Russia, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Norway. UPAT Workshop Teams consist of planning and design professionals from the ISOCARP network, with practical and academic excellence in diverse fields. The experts are selecved for their experience, skills and competences that match the nature, scale and complexity of the Workshop’s topic.

Guangzhou Historic & Cultural Corridors UPAT, China

Durban Inner City UPAT, South Africa

During an intensive UPAT Workshop Week, seven to nine ISOCARP experts are invited to work together with the Week’s hosting organisation. During the 5 days of fieldwork and design charrette sessions, the UPAT team focuses on finding creative solutions for specific urban challenges defined by the host. The Workshop’s hosts so far have been municipal planning authorities, non-profit organizations, professional planning associations, governmental bodies and academic institutions. The results of the UPAT Workshop are used for developing planning policies, capacity building, raising awareness about ongoing projects and issues, or for the international evaluation of planning strategies. The professional peer-to-peer knowledge exchange during the workshop is aimed to deepen specific planning topics such as social housing, sustainable development goals, urban mobility, design for resilience, and many others. Participation in the Urban Planning Advisory Teams is open to all ISOCARP members. The UPAT Workshops and related publications are executed by Foundation ISOCARP Institute – Centre for Urban Excellence.

Ningbo Xinmalu Historic District UPAT, China

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More information at https://isocarp.org/2019congress/

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