Smart plot division: generating a plot-based strategy for the restoration of the old south historic urban area in Nanjing

Abstract

China’s historic cities have experienced drastic transformations since the socialist revolution of 1949. One essential change in this regard is the reconstruction of the prevalent land plot pattern; the historic plot pattern has been heavily damaged by constant urban renewals, as oversized plots, deriving from amalgamation of previous small plots, have become a prominent feature of contemporary historic urban areas. The damage to the historic plot pattern has shown that the current plot division mechanism does not support the conservation of historic cities. Taking Nanjing’s old south area as an example, this research analyses the changes in and problems with the plot division mechanism since 1949 and its impact on urban forms. Changes in the plot division mechanism show that megaplots have been a constant in the ever-changing land development system since 1949, leading to elimination of historic land subdivisions and to inefficient regulatory planning with limited affordances. In this sense, it is necessary to establish a set of smart plot division strategies to promote the restoration of this historic urban area. The essence of the strategy proposed here involves five patterns of plot division, corresponding to different land development requirements and morphological zones.