Abstract
Through the case study of Dazhalan, one of Beijing's 25 preservation districts, the following article evaluates Beijing's current preservation and urban design policies specific to protection and rehabilitation strategies for traditional courtyard houses, Siheyuan, and their alleyway neighborhoods, Hutong. Beijing's ambitious 1990s Master plan attempted to define a totalizing image and characteristic form for the entire Old City.(1) This city-wide preservation policy have produced solutions that also handicapped the city's ability to accommodate changes. Despite the designation of twenty five historic zones, ambiguities in the legislation, such as the lack of definitions of 'style' and 'harmony' that new constructions should adhere to, resulted in the destruction of 77% (9,720,000 sqm) of Siheyuan and 7000 Hutong.(2) Instead, preservation policies must be revisited and expanded to incorporate community building, sustainability, and contemporary design tools and methods to better address conflicts between inevitable social changes and historic image.
Highlights
The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics was a major catalyst for the capitol’s modernization and economic development
Based on an analysis of the district of Dazhalan as a case study, this paper proposes to expand the scope and function of preservation in Beijing to include community building, sustainable and computational design strategies and methodologies to better accommodate social and cultural evolution
In the context of this article, these terms should be understood as follows: Historic preservation: similar to the term "heritage conservation" commonly used in the United Kingdom, is used a general term that refers to several kinds of treatments of historic properties including preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, reconstruction, or combinations of these treatments.[8]
Summary
The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics was a major catalyst for the capitol’s modernization and economic development. In order to make way for the Olympics, many traditional courtyard housing neighborhoods communities were torn up both physically and socially by way of demolition and forced evictions. In just 60 years, with the exception of monuments and landmarks such as the Forbidden City and the Drum and Bell Towers, over 77% (9,720,000 sqm) of Siheyuan, traditional courtyard houses in Beijing, have been demolished. In the context of this article, these terms should be understood as follows: Historic preservation: similar to the term "heritage conservation" commonly used in the United Kingdom, is used a general term that refers to several kinds of treatments of historic properties including preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, reconstruction, or combinations of these treatments.[8]. Rehabilitation: adapting a property for continuing or new compatible use through repair, alteration, or additions, while preserving those portions or features that convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values.[10]
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