The multivalent nexus of redevelopment and heritage conservation: A mixed-methods study of the site-level public consultation of urban development in Macao

Abstract

Despite the vast literature on planning discourse at the regional level or heritage studies at the site level, lesser known are the trends and rationales of the redevelopment-versus-conservation tension generalised from development sites. In Macao, following its World Heritage inscription, mandatory public consultation and the increased authority of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (Instituto Cultural, IC) over development controls and urban design requirements have introduced a new dynamic to the constant conflict between redevelopment and conservation. This study focused on public consultation exercises for site-level urban condition plan (UCP) applications from 2014 to 2018. A mixed-methods approach was adopted to examine two interrelated aspects of public feedback: intensity (examined from a spatial perspective) and diversity (examined from a discursive perspective). The quantitative results of global and geographically weighted logistic regression analyses (n = 562) showed variegated spatial patterns of the likelihood of high public feedback, and the presence of IC recommendations had a positive effect on these patterns. Moreover, despite a downward trend of intensity over the years, the qualitative results of the content analysis (n = 55) showed that argumentative diversity remained strong with debates regarding various redevelopment/conservation methods and appeals on not only instrumental-technical but also moral-ethical and emotive-aesthetic grounds. Drawing attention to the procedural inclusiveness of UCP consultation and the de facto softening of conservation area boundaries, our empirical study engages with urban policy discourse by accentuating the theoretical and practical affinity of collaborative planning for historic urban landscapes.