Research Essay | Getting Historical Block Work for Urban Regeneration and Sustainbility

GETTING HISTORICAL BLOCK TO WORK FOR URBAN REGENERATION AND SUSTAINABILITY ——Take the Chinese Baroque Historical Block in Daowai District, Harbin as an example

Student Name: Zihao Zhang Student Number: S253447 Tutor: Daniele Dabbene 01PTBLU - Research Essay (A.A. 2019-2020) (6 cfu)

Figure 1: Chinese Baroque Historical Block Street Figure 2: Songguang Cinema

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A people's relationship to their heritage is the same as the relationship of a child to its mother.

——John Henrik Clarke

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Figure 3: Research Essay Structure Diagram

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Getting Historical Block to Work for Urban Regeneration and Sustainability ——Take the Chinese Baroque Historical Block in Daowai District, Harbin as an example

Abstract

As a sociological study, this research starts from the realistic problems of Chinese Baroque Historical Block in Daowai District, Harbin. The essay is carried out using literature survey methods and field interviews comprehensively. It takes the historical block centered on Jingyu Street in Daowai District of Harbin as the research object. After sorting out the history and culture of Chinese Baroque Block, the essay conducted the site based in-depth interviews with different stakeholders related to this area in the urban regeneration process to find out the existing problem behind the preservation management. On this basis, research conducted the case studies comparing similar urban conditions with Chinese Baroque Historical Block to illustrate the real problem within the Chinese Baroque Historical Block is the “Commercial and Residential Mixed” property which is not solved properly.

Key Words

Historical Block; Urban Regeneration; Sustainability; Chinese Baroque

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Introduction 1. Current status of urbanization in China He Nianru mentioned in the article "Theoretical Research on Contemporary Urbanization in China (1979-2005)": "Urbanization, its basic connotation is the process of population concentration in cities and their suburbs. After the Industrial Revolution, cities have emerged in large numbers. This process is closely integrated with industrialization.

The economic foundation of the entire country has also shifted from rural agriculture to urban industry.

Therefore, urbanization can also be regarded as a process of spatial aggregation and differentiation of human economic activities caused by industrialization."1 Rossi adopted a comprehensive view to define urbanization in the sociological dictionary as follows: "The term urbanization has four meanings: one is the spread of the influence of urban centers on the rural hinterland; the other is the gradual progress of the whole society. The process of accepting urban culture; the third is the process of population concentration, including the increase of concentration points and the expansion of each concentration point; the fourth is the process of increasing the proportion of urban population in the population of the whole society."2 These two explanations of "urbanization" are both explaining that our cities are gathering together unprecedentedly in the spatial dimension, and the city center has more and more commercial value due to its superior location and traffic accessibility.

The historical blocks of a city are often the areas where the city begins to develop and prosper, and are often located in the core area of the city.

However, with the time passing by, it is far from being able to satisfy the requirements of today's cities' use for spatial density, so this article discusses how historical blocks can help to solve this problem.

The city’s historical block is a city’s cultural heritage, and it also retains the citizens’ memories of the old city. Nowadays, the preservation of 1

He Nianru. Theoretical Research on Contemporary Urbanization in China (1979-2005). 2006(5) 2 Cheng Dening. Urbanization and Economic Growth——Theories, Models and Policies [M]. Beijing: Science Press, 2002.

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historical blocks is undergoing more and more severe challenges in urban changes and renewal.

Although in recent years local governments have gradually begun to recognize the importance of the preservation of historic blocks, there are still many misunderstandings in these ongoing regeneration projects.

As the birthplace of the national economy and the witness of Harbin's memory, the Chinese Baroque Historical Block in Harbin City has been included in the preservation and planning work of the Harbin Municipal Government as the "Traditional Historical and Cultural District of Daowai in Harbin". However, when facing rapid large-scale urban development, it is inevitable to suffer the doom of blind transformation and tourism development.

It can be seen that how to preserve the living cultural memory in historical blocks and how to combine block development and commercial intervention have become issues that must be raised and resolved.

2. The historical value of Chinese Baroque From the 17th to the 18th century, "Baroque", a highly decorative artistic expression style, was popular in Europe. Its pursuit of dynamic effects, its passion for rich sculptures and decorations, and the use of free forms made it popular in the Renaissance. It is not recognized by people, so the term "Baroque" originally meant a pearl with an irregular shape.

However, it is now recognized that Baroque is a great artistic style in Europe after the Renaissance.

This style also entered China and Harbin with the construction of the Middle East Railway at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.3 Liang Weinan concluded in the article "The Wonders of Harbin Modern Architecture-"Chinese Baroque" Architecture": "In the modern architecture of Harbin, there is a unique style of style-'Chinese Baroque'. This type of architecture is concentrated in modern national industrial and commercial comparisons. The prosperous Daowai District. As the name suggests, this is a modern eclectic architectural type based on traditional Chinese architecture and European 3 Shao Zhuofeng. Research on the influence of local culture on Chinese Baroque architecture in Daowai District, Harbin. 2009(5)

Figure 4: Urbanization of China from 1960 to 2020

Figure 5: China Map

Figure 6: Heilongjiang Province

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Figure 7: Harbin Map and location of Chinese Baroque Historical Block

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Baroque. 4"Walking through the Chinese Baroque block, people will be amazed at the exquisite shaping of the building's facade on the details.

When you enter the traditional Chinese courtyard of the building, you will feel familiar with the neighborhood culture of the courtyard. This blend and collision of Chinese and Western architectural culture makes the Chinese Baroque historical and cultural district unique.

In the article "Characteristics of Harbin Modern Architecture", Hou Youbin mentioned: "In the 50 years from 1898 to 1949, the development of Harbin's modern architecture went through four stages: from 1898 to 1917, according to the direction and distance of the Middle East Railway The distance from the Songhua River, Daoli District was planned to build a commercial area. From 1917 to 1931, due to the influx of a large number of Russian aristocrats, the Russian national style architecture was introduced, and a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles appeared, resulting in eclectic architecture "It can be seen that the emergence of the "Chinese Baroque" style is inextricably linked to the original urban planning of Daowai District and even the entire Harbin city. "5Chinese Baroque" has long become part of Harbin's urban genes and cultural heritage.

Literature Review 1. Value judgment How can historical blocks be regarded as achievements to guide urban regeneration?

Professor Wu Jiang of Tongji University said in "Farewell to Old City Renewal and Towards Urban Renewal-An Interview with Professor Wu Jiang, Vice President of Tongji University": "Nowadays, there is a very common theoretical misunderstanding in society, which is the commercialization of cultural relics and urban renewal. The commercialization of historical districts is mixed. For cultural relics, such as the Forbidden City, and the site of the Shanghai First Conference, of course, it is not allowed to open

stores casually. However, in addition to important cultural relics, historical and cultural districts, historical districts, and historical buildings require activation."6 Historical blocks are not equal to cultural relics.

Historical blocks are the main components of urban organisms and urban space. They need to be viewed and involved from the perspective of organic renewal. 7They cannot be preserved in a glass cover and placed in a museum. Because it is still used by people and is constantly changing with the development of the city, our contemporary people must continue to give it the value of this era; while the cultural value of the built heritage of the cultural relic nature mainly stays in a certain historical place. One point, for example, the use value of the Forbidden City is mainly given by the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the use value of the Great Wall is mainly given by resisting foreign enemies.

Therefore, as a built-up heritage in cultural heritage, the value of historical blocks in guiding urban renewal should be reflected in whether they can re-energize the area and enhance the happiness of citizens and tourists.

2. The definition and preservation of historical blocks As far as the concept of historical blocks is concerned, there is currently no clear concept, and scholars at home and abroad have done certain research on it.

Experts and scholars in China mainly have the following two points of view when explaining the historical districts: 1) Wang Jinghui has three criteria for determining historical blocks: they have a relatively complete history, have real historical relics, have a certain scale, and have basically the same style 2) The Ruan Yisan Historic Block should have the following characteristics:

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Liang Weinan. The Wonderful Work of Harbin Modern Architecture——"Chinese Baroque Architecture". Journal of Harbin Architecture University, 2001.10 5 Hou Youbin, Nishizawa Taiyan, etc. Harbin Modern Architecture Features. An Overview of Modern Chinese Architecture·Harbin, 1992

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Xie Jianjun. Saying goodbye to the transformation of the old city and moving towards urban renewal-Interview with Professor Wu Jiang, Vice President of Tongji University. Public Art, 2016 (1) 77-81 7 http://ciug.sjtu.edu.cn/Mobile/Show/43?fid=4543 China’s urban renewal will usher in an era of organic renewal-an interview with Professor Wu Jiang.

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The historical block is a certain scale area with a relatively complete or renovable landscape A certain proportion of real historical remains, carrying real historical information Historical blocks should still play an important role in urban life. They are areas with vitality and vitality for metabolism and growth. This also determines that the historical block not only records a large amount of historical and cultural information of the past city, but also continuously and continues to record a large amount of information about the development of the city today.

However, western experts and scholars have experienced the following developments and changes in the description of historical block: 1) In 1933, the Athens Charter first proposed the concept of "Historical Block" (Sun Weisi, 2012).

2) The three famous international charters, the Venice Charter (1964), the Nairobi Proposal (1976), and the Washington Charter (1987), initially emphasized the concept of "historical districts" and their protection.

3) Among them, the "Washington Charter" formalized the definition of "historical districts" for the first time: historic city centers or areas, including their natural or man-made environments, which in addition to the role of historical documents also embody traditions The inherent value of the city’s culture".

4) UNESCO also published the "Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape" to give the definition of "Historic urban area": Historic urban areas, large and small, include cities, towns and historic centres or quarters, together with their natural and man-made environments.

Beyond their role as historical documents, these areas embody the values of traditional urban cultures.8

With regard to the protection of historic districts, many countries have promulgated a series of laws and regulations to protect historic districts, and established a set of sound and efficient management agencies from the local to the central (Ren Yunlan, 2007). Chinese scholars have summarized the preservation principles of historic districts, which are divided into the principle of coordination, the principle of continuity, the principle of fairness and the principle of people-oriented (Wu Lian, Wang Xin, 2007). Many scholars have conducted case studies with a certain historical block as the research object, and put forward various preservation concepts and plans.

In addition, there are many domestic and foreign journal articles that have conducted overall research on the protection and development of historical blocks, such as "Conservation and Renewal Models of Historic Blocks" (Chen Gang, 2003), "The dual-system model of historical block protection" Construction" (Liang Qiao, 2005), "Preservation of Sustainable Historical Street Blocks" (Li Hui, Ding Hongwei, 2003), "Historic Preservation and Progrowth Politics in US Cities" (Alexander. J. Reichl, 1997), etc.

In summary, the preservation of historic blocks has received widespread attention from scholars both in China and abroad.

3. The spatial and time limit of the Chinese Baroque block discussed in this article Daowai District is an old city with a long history, located in the middle east of Harbin. After the completion of the Middle East Railway in 1903, Tsarist Russia seized the area along the Ha-Fu Railway and placed it under the jurisdiction of the Middle East Railway Administration. The Songhua River traverses the entire territory from west to east, dividing the road into the north and the south.9 Time limit: From the Opium War of 1840 to the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, it was the stage of modern Chinese history, and the modern 9

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UNESCO. Recommendation on the historic urban landscape.

2011.10

Cui Jingqi. Research on the protection and renewal model of Daowai historical and cultural district in Harbin. Harbin Institute of Technology, 2009

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history of Harbin began with the construction of the Middle East Railway in 1898. The Chinese Baroque architecture in Daowai District of Harbin was produced during this period and became an important urban cultural feature of Harbin. So the research time range of this thesis is defined in 1898~1949.

Spatial limit: Daowai District of Harbin City is located in the middle-eastern part of Harbin City. It has a vast area and a moderate location. It is the location center of the eight districts of the city. The Chinese Baroque architecture in Daowai District of Harbin, created by national industry and commerce and traditional craftsmen, is the object of this article.

The research scope of this paper starts from Shidao Street in the east, Jingyang Street in the west, Nanxun Street in the south, and Jiangnan Road in the north.

Current scope of development intervention: The planned land is located in the central area of the Daowai District of Harbin, starting from the south bank of Songhua River in the north, and to the Binjiang Railway Line in the south. It is enclosed by main urban roads such as Jingyang Street, Chengde Street and Shiseido Street from the east to the west. The land area is 2.51 square kilometers.10 The central part of the planning area is Harbin's famous traditional commercial city style protection block with Jingyu Street as the core. At the same time, there are also many time-honored shops and protected buildings. In addition to the newly built residential areas, there are also shanty towns with poor environmental quality in the northern and southern surrounding areas. After a comprehensive analysis of the current land use, transportation, building infrastructure, space, environment, etc., the plan proposes continuation (protection and development of traditional style areas), renewal (reconstruction and rejuvenation of the old city), and integration (coordination and coordination of planned land use). Comprehensive) ideas.

10 Cui Jingqi, Lu Ming, Xing Jun. Research on the Protection and Renewal Mode of Commercial and Residential Mixed Historical and Cultural Districts-Taking Harbin Daowai Historical and Cultural Districts as an Example. Urban Planning and Scientific Development-Proceedings of 2009 China Urban Planning Annual Conference, 2009.9

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Methodology 1. In-depth interview and investigation with four different stakeholders 1) Aboriginal Name

Mr. Wang

Age

52

Stakeholder Identity

The original resident of Daowai District, his original house was transformed into Commercial Street. Now he is living in the Qunli District, which is the new district of Harbin.

As Mr. Wang said: "I really miss my house and courtyard in Daowai District and lovely harmonious neighborhood."

2) Developer Name

Mr. Zhao

Age

31

Stakeholder Identity

The staff of Real Estate Developer. He introduced to me how real estate intervened in the Chinese Baroque Historical Block and explained to me how they will transform this area in the next step.

As Mr.Zhao said: “I think commercial function should enter the historical block in order to add vitality and popularity to this desolate area.”

3) Consumer Name

Miss. Li

Age

23

Stakeholder Identity

The nearby college students in Harbin. She told me that she is attracted by the cultural performances and some art workshops in this historical block. She also enjoys hanging out with friends here to buy some clothes and dine.

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Figure 8: Map drew by Russian in 1920

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Figure 10: The Spatial Limit of Chinese Baroque Histoorical Block

Figure 9: Spatial Limit of Chinese Baroque Historical Block in Figure 8

F i g u r e 11 : R e l a t i o n s h i p D i a g r a m o f 4 Stakeholders

Cosumer

Developer

Name: Miss Li Age: 23 Interview time: 2020.7.20

Name: Mr Zhao Age: 31 Interview time: 2020.7.22

Government

Aboriginals

Name: Mr Zhang Age: 47 Interview time: 2020.7.17

Name: Mr Wang Age: 52 Interview time: 2020.7.27

Figure 12: Basic Information of Stakeholder Interviewee

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As Miss Li said: “I think shopping and dining in historical blocks can give me an experience which can not be found in the modern large indoor shopping malls.”

4) Government Name

Mr. Zhang

Age

47

Stakeholder Identity

The official working in the government of Daowai District, Harbin. He told me the government's attitude towards the preservation of Chinese Baroque Historical Blocks and the general development strategy for the next step.

buildings are unused, and the community is very declining.

Based on the above situation, Professor Haemer decided to "update it carefully." He believes that in the renewal, attention should be paid to the preservation of historical buildings and historical culture and public participation in the transformation process. In the transformation process, residents, designers, and social workers must carry out extensive collaboration and cooperation.

After the renovation, the rent should not be increased significantly, so that the original residents can continue to live here, and at the same time encourage residents to self-service renovation. Pay attention to the improvement of the environmental quality of public spaces, and pay attention to the protection and promotion of regional cultural characteristics and traditional lifestyles.

As Mr. Zhang said: “The transformed historical block is no longer suitable for the aborigines due to the intervention of new commercial formats. How to deal with the accommodation issuu of these aborigines is the most difficult problem in my opinion”

In terms of renovation, the enclosed residential block is the renovation unit.

There are many similarities between the Kreuzberg area and the Daowai Chinese Baroque Historical Block: (1) They are all historical blocks where the local and foreign cultures are fused and intertwined, with rich historical and cultural connotations and customs characteristics.

(2) Both are close to the city center and have a superior geographical location.

(3) The quality of public space and the environment are not high (4) The living standards of residents are low

2. Comparative analysis of similar cases 1) Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany "Careful Urban Renewal" Kreuzberg was a part of the planning area for the Berlin International Architecture Exhibition in 1979. It belongs to a historical area. Many problems occurred during the renovation in the 1950s and 1960s.

Therefore, this historic area needs to be renovated. Kreuzberg has more than 180 ethnic groups such as Turkey, Lebanon, and Arab living here. 11It is a typical international immigrant community.

Kreuzberg was severely damaged after World War II. The subsequent demolition reconstruction did not consider the issue of historical protection, resulting in the newly built highways, viaducts and high-rise buildings that were too large in scale and extremely incompatible with the surrounding environment.

2) Shanghai "Xintiandi" Project Shanghai "Xintiandi" is located at Taiping Bridge on the south side of Huaihai Middle Road. It is divided into two plots: the south and the north. The south area is dominated by modern buildings, while the north area retains a large area of lanes. The scale of the inner space.12

As a result, the newly-built commercial center shops are difficult to rent, the parking 12 11

A.E.J.Morris. History of Urban Form. Nichols Publishing Company, 1985:55-57

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Luo Xiaowei et al. Shanghai Xintiandi——Research on Architectural History, Humanistic History and Development Model of Old District Reconstruction. Southeast University Press, 2002:73-76

Restaurant Zone Theater & Cinema Zone Commercial & Cultural Zone Commercial & Office Zone Service Apartment Zone Figure 13: Commercial Function Diagram within Fisrt Phase Preservation

Figure 14: Commercial Types within First Phase Preserved Area

Figure 15: The Area of Preserved Area within Chinese Baroque Historical Block

Figure 16: Berliner Ökohäuser, south side of the group of houses seen from the Landwehr Canal, Berlin 1982-90 (overall conception in collaboration with H. Kendel and C. Kanstinger), Source: Selected works by Frei Otto retrieved 2018, June 03, from http://www.freiotto.de/Wohnungsbau. html

Figure 17: Proposed development for Mariannenstraße next to the SO 36 area in the Template for the decision on the preparation and implementation of an International Building exhibition in Berlin in 1984 (The Senate of Berlin to the House of Representatives of Berlin), Berlin, 1978, 93 pages, 2 Ex., Source: FHXB Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Museum. (2015-10-06).

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Exhibition & Office Zone Theater & Cinema Zone Commercial & Cultural Zone Folk Art & Cultural Zone Service Apartment Zone Figure 18: Functional Diagram of

Figure 19: Picture of "Xintiandi" Block in Shanghai

Figure 20: Ju'er Hutong Picture in Beijing, China

Figure 21: Grainger Town in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, United Kingdom

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Award. 13Ju'er Hutong is located in the northeast corner of Beijing's Nanluogu Alley.

It is a lot with a long history.

In the process of building renovation, “Xintiandi” adopted the method of “storing the exterior and leaving the interior” to preserve the skin of the building. At the same time, the internal structure of the building was greatly transformed to meet the needs of modern life, including “office, Commercial, catering" etc.

The transformation plan adopts the transformation method of retention, repair and demolition and reconstruction, and delimits the "development unit" according to the boundary of the courtyard, and retains the "Hutong-Courtyard System" while reconstructing.

At the same time, while maintaining the traditional style, a large number of innovative new bodies and materials have been interspersed with the exterior texture of the original building, such as "metal and glass" and other modern materials, reflecting the artistic characteristics of this era.

The Juer Hutong project embodies small-scale, gradual organic intervention and development, and properly handles the relationship between current and future development.

In terms of function, Xintiandi has replaced the original residential function and replaced it with new functions such as leisure and entertainment, catering, and business office. Therefore, the "Xintiandi" area is transformed from a traditional residential area into a high-end fashion leisure and entertainment commercial area with modern characteristics.

4) Grainger Town in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, United Kingdom Grainger town is located in the heart of Newcastle, which won the award winning example of "heritage led regeneration". It was an ambitious holistic regeneration programme with a strategic approach which was driven by a "Civic Vision".

It was led by the Grainger Town Partnership, a public private partnership established by the city council, and supported by several national and regional Governmental development, regeneration and conservation organisations as well as local businesses and local people.14

The "Xintiandi" project has brought huge economic benefits to the area, and also enhanced the commercial and location value of the surrounding land. However, the project moved the aboriginal people out of the area, replacing the original residential functions with commercial functions, which transformed the users of the area from ordinary residents of the middle and low classes to white-collar workers, gold-collar workers and foreign tourists with substantial income.

3) Organic Renewal of Beijing Old Residential Area Beginning in the 1990s, Professor Wu Liangyong of Tsinghua University began to preside over the renovation of some historical areas in Beijing. He proposed "organic renewal" and applied it to these renovation projects. Among them, "Ju'er Hutong" has received great attention and won the United Nations World Habitat

The success of this case is that it brings significant social and economical benefits by setting wider targets rather than just restoring the area itself. The 81,000m² of new commercial space and 270 new dwellings created 2,300 new jobs for the local people.

3. Case and research interview analysis results Current preservation mode: 1) Reconstruction of three-level preservation planning control zone 13

Fang Ke. Contemporary Beijing Old City Renewal. China Industry Press, 2000:103-115 14 Getting cultural heritage to work for Europe——Report of the Horizon 2020 Expert Group on Cultural Heritage. 2015

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2) Strengthen traditional architectural space form and urban texture 3) The current three update modes -Static protection mode -New development model -Small-scale progressive protection and renewal concept 4) Depopulate The population density in this area is as high as 44,300 people/km2, the per capita construction land area is 22.56 m2, and the per capita living area is 9.62m2, the current situation of dense population has seriously affected the quality of living and the environment. The plan is divided into two phases: the short-term focus is on the transformation of shanty towns, the evacuation of the population has reduced the population from 48,200 to 25,000, and the total population is controlled at 88,000; the long-term adjustment and transformation of the residential areas developed in the 1980s, The population density will be reduced to 28,000 people/km2, the per capita living area will reach 15m2, and the total population will be controlled at 70,000 people. In the development, non-residential buildings can be appropriately increased, and the form of residence on the bottom of the business can be adopted, which is conducive to economic development, convenient for residents and lower population density.

5) Reshape the neighborhood culture In order to continue the spatial layout model of the "Northeast Courtyard" in the traditional protected area, and to shape the overall style and features, for the old area that needs to be updated, we proposed the layout intention of the "Northeast Courtyard", adopting the surrounding method, and forming a promotion of interpersonal communication. The inner courtyard not only adapts to the needs of modern life, but also reflects the traditional characteristics of the northeast residential houses, has functional diversity and environmental vitality, and embodies the environmental concept of sustainable development. At the same time, old buildings such as the original review

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theater, cinema, and Peking Opera theater were renovated.

Conclusion 1. Dislocation of the role of the government in the reconstruction of Historical Blocks 1) Conceptual support of "developmentalism" China is still in the initial stage of rapid economic development, "urbanization" has become synonymous with modernization, and urban development has become an important way to revitalize the economy.

Under such development thinking, it is easy for the government to attach importance to short-term benefits and ignore long-term development.

2) Unchecked government behavior In the current Chinese society, the government lacks the necessary behavioral constraints, and the people, due to the immature information feedback channels, can hardly translate their own interests into powerful public discourse. Coupled with the lack of a necessary buffer zone between the government and the people, unnecessary contradictions are prone to appear in the process of uploading public opinion and issuing government orders. Specifically in the process of urban development, the government not only has all the powers from urban planning, land acquisition, land use rights transfer, financial control to project review, but also monopolizes the decision-making power of social policies for allocating various public relations resources. It is possible to flexibly apply policy operating techniques in the process of urban development to rationalize its behavior; at the same time, it is also possible to connect the intellectual community to "find the corresponding value resources and expand the rationality space" to deal with the crisis of value rationality.

The citizens are “generally accustomed to deconstructing the system in the form of informal daily resistance.” They lack organization and consciousness, but also lack neutral supporters, interpreters, and institutional support. Their voices are

difficult to translate into just public discourse. In addition, citizens’ interest demands for a livelihood are often understood as economic actions, making them often trapped in a helpless situation with a lack of moral resources in the face of a powerful and reasonable government. In this way, it is difficult for citizens to constitute a restraining force for the government.

2. Failure to combine the urban regeneration with "community participation" Most houses in the Chinese Baroque Historical Block are public housing. The government should clarify the property rights of the houses and increase the enthusiasm of residents to protect their old houses independently.

Individual parts with excessive residential density should be evacuated, but the overall block characteristics of combining commercial and residential buildings should be preserved, while improving the quality of life and infrastructure of the aborigines 3. Not grasping the balance of "commercial-residential integration" Blind commercial development turns historic districts into tourist products without "spiritual".

Commercial development and cultural protection are often regarded as contradictory by people. Developers are developing tourism based on commercial interests. This modern goal of historical block preservation and reshaping has reduced historical blocks to consumption-oriented theme parks. It is precisely because the developers place too much emphasis on the tourist value of historical and cultural blocks that this blind development ignores the status and role of historical blocks in the lives of local people.

Without the support and participation of the indigenous residents as the carrier of culture, no matter how much money is spent on restoring the architectural style, it is just a futile effort, as if there is no spirit of tourism products.

The characteristics of historic blocks as living spaces should be preserved.

The ultimate goal of historical block protection is to maintain its original characteristics and make it a living space that inherits the traditional lifestyle and unique life skills and wisdom of a place. The historical district is not a display of handicrafts, but a living space. However, with the rapid development of society with each passing day, it is unrealistic to keep the historical districts intact forever. In order to meet the needs of modern society, it is natural and inevitable to add a certain tourist function to the historic districts. But more importantly, the protected and successful historical district is not only a tourism function, it is still a place for local people to live and work in peace, the latter is the foundation of the former. Historic districts must have value for tourists and locals alike. The protection of historical blocks must take into account the needs of local people, because the talents in historical blocks are the foundation of history and culture.

Discussion To sum up, linking the urban sustainability and historical block preservation management, we can easily find out that: 1. Many historical buildings in Chinese Baroque Historical Block do not meet today's safety requirements, such as fire protection requirements.

The author believes that as long as the space is not damaged, it is a better choice to give new functions that adapt to the needs of the city, because the city needs vitality, and the protection of the historic district needs to be embedded with new elements.

2. The commercial function of the city is the most conducive function for the conversion of the old road outside the historical district, because the commercial function is open to all citizens and is most likely to generate vitality. The coordinated cooperation of the government, residents, enterprises and other diverse forces, and mutual governance and win-win situations are the ideal

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state that Harbin Lao Daowai governance should really achieve.

3. "Combination of commerce and residence" has become part of the historical value of Lao Daowai.

Protecting the historical features of Lao Daowai cannot be done at the cost of completely relocating the aborigines. The characteristics of "combination of business and residence" should be retained.

Therefore, considering the thinking based on the Chinese Baroque Historical Block preservation, is it possible to learn from the experience of foreigners to envision a new preservation and regeneration model for other historical blocks in China with similar conditions?

As for the contradiction of "commercial-residential integration", the Chinese Baroque Historical Block has risen due to commerce and also prospered due to commerce. People gather here because of the lively market life.

Aboriginals are mostly middle- and lower-class citizens, and their overall income and consumption levels are relatively low. The traditional commercial market outside the road was originally supported by the weak national industry. With the construction of new urban areas and the deterioration of the neighborhood’s own environment, many young and middle-class residents with working ability moved out of the neighborhood, and the rest were mostly The businessmen engaged in small commodity business in the reformed area have no old people and laid-off workers with weak working ability and economic ability. Most of them are disadvantaged groups in cities, and their ability to cope with environmental changes is weak.

On the one hand, they urgently need the improvement of their living conditions, and on the other hand, they are worried that the block reconstruction will undermine their own interests.

The block transformation will inevitably introduce mid-to-high-end commercial and cultural and creative industries for tourists, which in itself is not what the aborigines need; but the removal of the aborigines will fundamentally change the style and genes of the outsiders.

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Therefore, under the basic framework of "commercial-residential integration", the fundamental contradiction is that the old composition of residents is no longer compatible with the new commercial format.

Acknowledgements I grew up in Yulin, an ancient city at the foot of the Great Wall in northern Shaanxi Province, China. I studied in Harbin, which is called by tourists the Little Paris in the East, in Heilongjiang Province, China. Then I went to study in Turin, Italy, which is quite famous for its Baroque architecture by Guarino Guarini.

After experiencing different cultures and thinking within different cultural backgrounds, I began to realize the different understanding of heritage conservation. When I was walking and exploring cities in many European countries such as Italy and Spain, I was pleasantly surprised to find the vitality of these historical and cultural blocks to the city and the emotional connection with local citizens.

However, in China, the urban historical districts seem to always run counter to the economic development considered by the municipal governments. Managers do not know how to reasonably protect and develop the precious historical districts in cities.

Therefore, in response to the consideration of the preservation of historical blocks in two cultural contexts, I decided to select the Chinese Baroque Historical Block of Daowai District in Harbin as my research object to explore how historical districts, especially the commercial and residential mixed ones, could promote urban regeneration.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my tutor: Daniele Dabbene. For his enthusiastic support and insightful encouragement in undertaking this research essay.

Field Trip Pictures:

Figure 23: Pets and vegetation shop

Figure 22-26: Retail Business Form in Daowai District Figure 27-34: Degredation Situation of Historical Building Baroque Style Facade and courtyard without Preservation Intervention Figure 35-40: Situation of Historical Building Courtyard after Preservation Intervention

Figure 24: Tea leaves shop

Figure 25: Vegetation stall

Figure 22: Chinese popcorn made with yellow rice

Figure 26: Retailing shopping street

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Figure 27: Degradation of facade in South 4 Street

Figure 28: Degradation of facade in South 6 Street

Figure 29: Degradation of facade in North 4 Street

Figure 30: Degradation of facade in South 10 Street

Figure 31: Degradation of facade in South 2 Street

Figure 32: Degradation of facade in North 6 Street

Figure 33: Degradation of facade in South 7 Street

Figure 34: Degradation of facade in South 5 Street

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Figure 35: Preservation of courtyard in South 10 Street

Figure 36: Preservation of courtyard in South 7 Street

Figure 37: Preservation of courtyard in South 3 Street

Figure 39: Preservation of courtyard in South 6 Street

Figure 38: Preservation of courtyard corridor in South 10 Street

Figure 40: Preservation of courtyard in South 10 Street

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References [1] He Nianru. Theoretical Research on Contemporary Urbanization in China (1979-2005). 2006(5): [2] Cheng Dening. Urbanization and Economic Growth——Theories, Models and Policies [M]. Beijing: Science Press, 2002.

[3] Shao Zhuofeng. Research on the influence of local culture on Chinese Baroque architecture in Daowai District, Harbin. 2009(5) [4] Liang Weinan. The Wonderful Work of Harbin Modern Architecture——"Chinese Baroque Architecture".

Journal of Harbin Architecture University, 2001.10 [5] Hou Youbin, Nishizawa Taiyan, etc. Harbin Modern Architecture Features. An Overview of Modern Chinese Architecture·Harbin, 1992 [6] Xie Jianjun. Saying goodbye to the transformation of the old city and moving towards urban renewal-Interview with Professor Wu Jiang, Vice President of Tongji University. Public Art, 2016 (1) 77-81 [7]http://ciug.sjtu.edu.cn/Mobile/Show/43?fid=4543 China’s urban renewal will usher in an era of organic renewal-an interview with Professor Wu Jiang.

[8]UNESCO. Recommendation on the historic urban landscape. 2011.10 [9] Cui Jingqi. Research on the protection and renewal model of Daowai historical and cultural district in Harbin. Harbin Institute of Technology, 2009 [10] Cui Jingqi, Lu Ming, Xing Jun. Research on the Protection and Renewal Mode of Commercial and Residential Mixed Historical and Cultural Districts-Taking Harbin Daowai Historical and Cultural Districts as an Example. Urban Planning and Scientific Development-Proceedings of 2009 China Urban Planning Annual Conference, 2009.9 [11]A.E.J.Morris. History of Urban Form. Nichols Publishing Company, 1985:55-57 [12]Luo Xiaowei et al. Shanghai Xintiandi——Research on Architectural History, Humanistic History and Development Model of Old District Reconstruction. Southeast University Press, 2002:73-76 [13]Fang Ke. Contemporary Beijing Old City Renewal. China Industry Press, 2000:103-115 [14]Getting cultural heritage to work for Europe——Report of the Horizon 2020 Expert Group on Cultural Heritage. 2015

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