By Zhao Zheng, Wang Bingwen & Yang Xiaodong, Research Institute of Public Administration and Human Resources, DRC

Research Report, No.206, 2021 (Total 6271) 2021-7-23

Abstract: Urban renewal is an important way to advance the high-quality development of China’s cities. Viewing from historical, comparative and governance aspects, urban renewal urgently needs to strengthen the cultural continuity, diversity and inclusiveness. Urban cultural vitality is mainly embodied in value, spatial, economic and social forms. Currently, in the course of urban renewal, cultural homogenization still stands out due to insufficient tapping of urban cultural values; the lack of aesthetic designing in city landscape leads to relatively serious loss of spatial cultural memory; less competitive urban cultural industries are playing a limited role in driving urban renewal; and the mechanism based on co-governance and common benefits needs to be improved to help people feel more satisfied. Emphasis needs to be put on the planning guidance and full-cycle period management to show the featured cultural values of a city. The quality space of urban culture needs to be created with the focus laid on urban designing and “micro renewal”. The industrial strength of urban culture needs to be enhanced and give priority to the integration of digital culture and culture-tourist industries. And we need to concentrate on preserving urban features and social co-governance mechanism to enrich the stylistic variation of urban culture.

Keywords: urban renewal, cultural vitality, spatial cultural memory, governance at grassroots level