Multi-Dimensional Organic Conservation of Historical Neighborhood Buildings in the Context of Sustainable Urban Renewal—2nd Edition

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Architectural Design, Urban Science, and Real Estate".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 339

Special Issue Editors

School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Interests: urban design; spatial anthropology; architectural design; sustainable development; organic urban renewal; architectural metabolism; heritage conservation in Asia; participatory design; environmental–behavior studies
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Guest Editor
School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Interests: architectural design; urban design; university campus planning
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Guest Editor
School of Urban Planning and Design, Peking University, Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
Interests: transport geography; urban spatial analysis; spatiotemporal behavior

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Although historic neighborhood building’s conservation can be practiced on a small scale, it is equally important for urban planning and sustainable urban renewal. From the Siheyuan in Beijing, the buildings in Roji of Tokyo, and the Avenue in Switzerland, historic neighborhood buildings are widely regarded as the carriers of urban development, life traces, and cultural spirit for individual cities. The focus of conserving urban historical neighborhood buildings is placed on the tangible parts of buildings, such as conservation technologies and material studies. In spite of this, it can also be carried out at an invisible level. In this case, the focus is placed on the culture, identity, memory, and daily life behind urban renewal, which functions as the historical carrier of urban life. Its conservation also involves the planning policies and management models of urban renewal and building conservation. With the support of digital technology, the conservation of historical neighborhood buildings will be conducted through data collection, fine scanning, and digital management of urban historical neighborhoods. This practice relies on UAV remote sensing, big data, artificial intelligence, geographic information systems, and other advanced methodologies. Globalization has promoted the knowledge exchange of various relevant information and case comparisons, improving the understanding of conservation in terms of urban planning, architecture, building technology, heritage, geography, psychology, and others.

This 2nd Edition Special Issue of Buildings hopes to receive and inspire cross-technological and multi-dimensional communications on the organic conservation of urban historical neighborhood buildings, for the promotion of sustainable urban renewal, under the theme of “Multi-Dimensional Organic Conservation of Historical Neighborhood Buildings in the Context of Sustainable Urban Renewal”.

We especially encourage papers that present research on the following topics:

  • Sustainable renewal of urban historical neighborhood buildings;
  • Conservation technology of urban historical neighborhood buildings;
  • Digital conservation of urban historical neighborhood buildings;
  • Urban conservation and renewal management of historical neighborhood buildings.

Dr. Fei Chen
Prof. Dr. Gang Feng
Dr. Fangning Wu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • organic conservation
  • historical neighborhood buildings
  • sustainable urban renewal

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

37 pages, 57844 KiB  
Article
Inclusive Socio-Spatial Transformation: A Study on the Incremental Renovation Mode and Strategy of Residential Space in Beijing’s Urban Villages
by Wei Duan, Liuchao Wei, Yuexu Huang and Ziqing Cui
Buildings 2025, 15(10), 1755; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101755 - 21 May 2025
Abstract
This study investigates the incremental renovation of urban villages in Beijing, with a focus on the socio-spatial transformation of rental spaces. By integrating field surveys, building mapping, questionnaire research, and Kano model analysis, we identify key patterns and strategies for improving living conditions, [...] Read more.
This study investigates the incremental renovation of urban villages in Beijing, with a focus on the socio-spatial transformation of rental spaces. By integrating field surveys, building mapping, questionnaire research, and Kano model analysis, we identify key patterns and strategies for improving living conditions, preserving community culture, and promoting social integration. The main contributions of this study include (1) revealing the architectural characteristics and stages of incremental renovation of different rental spaces in urban villages and their diverse tenant needs, (2) applying the Kano model to prioritize tenant needs and guide targeted renovations, and (3) advocating an inclusive socio-spatial transformation strategy that balances development with the protection of vulnerable groups. This approach offers a sustainable alternative to radical urban renewal, ensuring dignified living conditions and opportunities for all residents. Full article
25 pages, 2542 KiB  
Article
Identification of Spatial Influencing Factors and Enhancement Strategies for Cultural Tourism Experience in Huizhou Historic Districts
by Yue Yang, Shaoshan Du and Yang Xiao
Buildings 2025, 15(9), 1568; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15091568 - 6 May 2025
Viewed by 194
Abstract
Historical blocks are a vital component of urban cultural heritage, serving as a link for regional cultural inheritance and a carrier for showcasing urban charm. Enhancing the quality of cultural tourism experiences in these areas can activate the endogenous momentum of cultural tourism [...] Read more.
Historical blocks are a vital component of urban cultural heritage, serving as a link for regional cultural inheritance and a carrier for showcasing urban charm. Enhancing the quality of cultural tourism experiences in these areas can activate the endogenous momentum of cultural tourism industries and foster a virtuous cycle of cultural heritage conservation and utilization. Currently, research on the relationship between historical block spaces and cultural tourism experiences remains deep, and related theoretical gaps also constrain sustainable revitalization practices. Therefore, in this study, 20 representative historic districts with distinct regional cultural characteristics and well-developed cultural tourism in the Huizhou area were selected as research objects. By integrating multi-source data such as geographic information and Dianping reviews and applying the Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) statistical method, this study measures the correlation between the spatial morphology of Huizhou historic districts and cultural tourism experience indicators, identifying spatial influencing factors affecting cultural tourism experiences. The results show a significant correlation between the spatial form characteristics of historic districts and the quality of tourists’ cultural tourism experiences. Specifically, the regression coefficients of architectural space, transportation space, landscape space, and facility space in relation to the quality of cultural tourism experiences are significant at the p < 0.01 level. This paper innovatively conducts research from the perspective of urban design, employing a combined quantitative and qualitative analytical approach. The study fills existing gaps in quantitative analysis and empirical research on the spatial forms of historic districts and cultural tourism experiences and breaks through the limitations of qualitative research on traditional cultural tourism. It provides practical references for the organic protection of historical district buildings in the context of sustainable urban renewal. Full article
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