Historical Urban Spaces Research Articles

DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR THE URBAN INTERPRETATION OF COURTYARD SPACES IN HISTORIC CITIES: DESIGN AND SOCIAL ASPECTS

The shift in the urban paradigm during the 20th century led to a significant reconsideration of the living space of city residents. The principles of the modernist worldview, which acquired the nature of a universal urban design strategy in the Athens Charter of 1931, initiated a negative attitude towards the block development that had prevailed before. The courtyard spaces inherent in it started to be perceived as insufficient, and their original concept as places of recreation and social interaction was redefined. As a result, the internal environments of blocks were spontaneously used by residents for various purposes, leading to their degradation and chaos. This was particularly relevant to Ukrainian cities, where the population of historic centres was densifying, with an increased impact on all types of spaces. The crisis of modernist urban design and the expansion of postmodern values have returned attention to historical heritage as an auxiliary source of shaping and removed the intensity of the confrontation between the ‘contemporary’ modernist worldview and the ‘historical’ one. Subsequently, urban concepts have absorbed many ideas related to the environmental discourse, inclusiveness, barrier-free accessibility, pedestrian accessibility, and density. All of this has significantly changed the understanding of approaches and principles of interpretation of historic urban spaces, including residential courtyards. The article considers promising urban design strategies that can be used for the contemporary interpretation of courtyard environments, primarily focused on design and social aspects. This is due to the methodological structure, which is based on a dual understanding of the priorities of this process. On the one hand, courtyard spaces are perceived as places of recreation and greening, and on the other hand, as environments for socialising and community bonding. In this regard, four urban design strategies have been identified that may form the basis of certain areas of urban design in the future: a) functional universalisation; b) spatial diversification; c) communicative adaptability; d) variable accessibility. The first strategy refers to the integration of courtyard spaces into measures to introduce walkability and optimal density. In this case, we are dealing with introducing a number of functions into courtyard spaces that were typical of external street areas, but aimed at the nearest residents. The second strategy is aimed at returning to the ideology of green oases and recreational areas, with further expansion of spatial elements through vertical development. The strategy of communicative adaptability is related to the development of courtyards as places of gathering and solidarity of the resident’s community. The last strategy is related to the proposal to provide access to the courtyards to external visitors at certain times.

Climate and disease in historical urban space: evidence from 19th century Poznań, Poland

Abstract. This study examines the relationship between temperature levels and precipitation amounts as explanatory variables for the probability of death due to waterborne and airborne diseases in historical urban space. To date, the literature has not focused on the climatological epidemiology of 19th century Polish urban areas. We used individual mortality data from Poznań parish death registers between 1850 and 1900. Each deceased individual was assigned average monthly temperature values and precipitation amounts in the month of death, LAG1 (1-month-lagged) temperature and LAG1 rainfall, and place of residence. We studied the relationship between weather conditions and mortality using formalized statistical models reflecting the discrete nature of the response data (via multinomial logistic regression). Lagged monthly average temperature levels and lagged monthly average precipitation amounts were better predictors of airborne and waterborne disease mortality than the concurrent (non-lagged) monthly averages. The lagged effects of temperature and precipitation on waterborne and airborne diseases were significant (except for the smooth lagged average monthly temperature effect for airborne diseases). There was also significant spatial heterogeneity (differences among city quarters) in the prevalence of deaths due to waterborne and airborne diseases.

Analysis of Touristification Processes in Historic Town Centers: The City of Seville

Encouraged by the administration, the gen9otrification process has been useful in economic terms for the reactivation of the socio-cultural fabrics of historic urban spaces in decline. What was initially considered an advantage has led to the touristification of historic centers, and in turn to the alteration of their original use. In these settings, the demographic void caused by increasingly shunning local identity has combined with pressure from excessive tourism and the obsolescence of heritage protection bodies in charge of conservation. Given the crisis affecting the definitions of the current system, this study aims to review the environmental agents of heritage value in relation to the processes of touristification and gentrification. Data obtained from different methodologies are analyzed using a multidisciplinary database, a model which enables the analysis of the relevant information from the different interacting fields. This case study focuses on the historic town center of Seville, specifically between 2015 and 2020. Elements are defined as indicators for these processes and the analysis of this case study will comprise the main results of this research.

ADAPTIVE REUSE GUIDELINES ON WARENHUIS MEDANANDURBAN HERITAGE ENVIRONMENT

Heritage buildings indicate the rich history of Indonesian civilization by its relation to history, culture, politics, and economics. Warenhuis as a class A heritage building within Medan’s historic district, play an important role in trading commodity. It possesses immense historical and cultural significancedespite being poorly maintained and neglected. The building suffered serious damage due to a fire outbreakand has not been revitalized. Furthermore, the adaptive reuse approach provides development guidelines that preserve and optimize the historic building’s tangible and intangible qualities. Urban regeneration guidelinesfor the surrounding heritage environment also need to be maintained to maintain the spatial qualityof Warenhuis Medan. Adaptive reuse is implemented in the revitalization of historical architecture andtheregeneration of Medan’s Warenhuis environment. This qualitative study uses case studies research methodtoproduce revitalization guidelines on Medan’s Warenhuis and development guidelines on its historical urbanspaces. Theoretical foundations, such as building adaptation theory, heritage regulations, and tradingcityconcept are used to dissect case studies. Battersea Arts Centre and Beloit College Powerhouse. Objectives of this research are to formulate and to implement adaptive reuse concept in the revitalization of Warehuisarchitecture and the development of its historic environment. Theoretical reference in this study includesbuilding adaptation theory and heritage law that are used to analyse case studies Battersea Arts Centre andBeloit College Powerhouse. The objectives are to formulate and to adapt adaptive reuse in revitalizeWarenhuis and its surrounding environment. The objectives were achieved by identifying Warenhuis’ urbancontext and heritage characteristics based on four factors in adaptation building: legal & economy, culture&social, and built environment. Research findings generates 7 points of heritage revitalization guidelines onWarenhuis and 12 points of guidelines in its urban regeneration.
 Keywords : adaptive reuse, building adaptation, heritage, Medan’s Warenhuis

Revitalizing Chinatown for a new generation: The community politics of the business improvement district

ABSTRACT Business improvement districts (BIDs) have become prominent but controversial tools for economic development and urban governance. While they have been praised for helping to revitalize economically depressed commercial areas, they also have been linked to concerns about gentrification, especially in smaller-scale urban neighborhoods. Drawing from ethnographic data on Los Angeles Chinatown, this article examines how BIDs may serve as a mechanism for gentrification in historic urban ethnic spaces by contributing to political and cultural restructuring. Through its governance structure, information sharing practices, and marketing activities, the BID contributes to changes to the neighborhood’s political structure and cultural identity. The findings show that BIDs can create displacement pressures by legitimizing a new economic and political elite from within the community who are steering neighborhood changes to create an upscaled, modern identity of the neighborhood.

Sartre’s ‘Being Looked at’ and Consciousness in the Jewish Ghetto, Vilnius


 
 
 This article explores the relationship between consciousness and the historical urban space of the former Jewish Ghetto in Vilnius, Lithuania. This relationship is investigated primarily within the existentialist school of philosophy and takes its point of departure from Sartre’s ‘gaze’ or ‘look’ from his philosophical work, Being and Nothingness. Within this existentialist schematic the ‘look’ is methodologically sub-divided into i) ‘being looked at’ and ii) the ‘look looked at’. This paper further discerns the nuances of consciousness within the field of phenomenology in terms of upsurges and decompressions when ‘being looked at’ in the Ghetto. That is, when walking its streets and ‘being seen’ by, and through the Ghetto’s windows. Subject is primarily understood as subdivided into Self, ‘I’ and ‘me’, thus rendering it as carrying a non-stable first-person perspective.
 
 

Embedded heritage: the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in urban placemaking (case study: Tehran's citadel)

As young, active, creative, and authentic people tend to outmigration from the historical contexts of downtown Tehran, the question in this paper has dealt with the ways of place-making through ICT. Hence, the article seeks to find an urban design solution to attract people to the inner parts of the cities. The primary purpose of this study is to enhance public events in the historic zone of Tehran's Citadel by using ICT. In spite of the potentials of the heritage areas in empowering social interactions and nightlife entertainments, many of the historic urban spaces have now fallen into disrepair and decrepitude. The importance of this research is in recreating the morphological, economic, social and historical aspects of vast and sensitive areas in Tehran and other similar cities. Therefore, by studying the evolution of urban fabrics in three historical periods, the physical, social, and historic-cultural features of these periods have been studied and assessed through 3D modeling and fabrication. Volumetric envelopes of historic monuments, some of which are now destroyed, are to be made and virtually displayed in the original location of the buildings by using lighting techniques. The result of this paper indicates that in addition to its instrumental role of digital documentation production, ICT may enhance historical urban sites and aid people in three main place aspects including the functional aspect (enhancing safety, nightlife, and social interaction), the perceptual aspect (enhancing the identity of the place) and the physical aspect (redesigning urban places).

Synchronic Representation of Spaces as a Way to Understanding their Diachronic Evolution

Abstract Starting from theoretical principles on the production of space and the role of perception, imagination, signification and their possible temporal overlap, the research addresses an innovative way of representing historical urban space. This, borrowing the sequentiality of the comic strip, intends to amplify its dynamics, transposing them beyond the pages and bringing them into a three-dimensional virtual environment for a synchronic narration of the transformations of the urban space over time.

Tourism policy, spatial justice and COVID-19: lessons from a tourist-historic city

In many historic and post-industrial cities, tourism is often positioned as an important component for urban regeneration. Yet, the promise of sustainability and social transformation is often empty as policymakers focus on sustaining tourism over supporting greater social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, the pandemic has drawn attention to the unsustainable nature of the neoliberal model of tourism engagement. Due to the paucity of research exploring spatial injustice in urban tourism, this study examines the impact policymaking and governance structures have on urban destinations and the potential inequalities this creates. Drawing on Edward Soja's approach to Lefebvre’s The Right to the City (1968), this research explores how lessons learned during the pandemic in the tourist-historic city of York, UK, could transform tourism in historic urban spaces. Taking an interpretive case study approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with leading stakeholders to understand the spatial dimensions of the lived experiences of policymaking. The hopeful signs emerging from York’s response to the pandemic demonstrate how communities can reclaim voice to build sustainable and purposeful models of engagement. This paper contributes to our understanding by demonstrating the transformative potential that future policymaking could have for reducing the negative impacts of tourism.

Merchants and missionaries: Chinese evangelical networks and the transnational resacralization of European urban spaces

AbstractThis article sheds new light on the diverse modes in which migration and religion intersect in shaping everyday transnational practices by exploring the articulations of religion and business migration in an emerging Chinese‐led transnational mission field. Drawing on multisited ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Wenzhou, Rome and Paris, I show how a large group of transnational Chinese merchants has adopted a vigorous homegrown evangelical Christianity as the spiritual and social anchor of their territorial mercantile culture in diaspora. These merchants have actively engaged in producing religious activities and events that link China to Europe and in resacralizing secular real estate and attaching evangelistic meanings to Europe's historic urban spaces. For rural‐originated migrants who embrace a global hierarchy of places, the evangelical discursive distinction between the mundane and the transcendent spheres finds expression in their perceived opposition between the peripheral local and the modern global centre in the global market economy.

Measuring Urban Change in Travel Texts Using the Example of the City of Graz in the Long Nineteenth Century

Historic urban space with its formations, changes and dissolutions can be represented in various ways. This paper focuses on narrative spatial representations of the city of Graz in 19th-century guidebooks. In these texts the subjective in the individual accounts interweaves with historical reality. Two methods to reconstruct perceptions and experiences of historical spaces and spatial relationships in travel texts are presented, with the aim of making aspects of urban change measurable.

Urban Plot: Developing a Consistent Definition for Comparative Urban Studies

The aim of this paper is to discuss the problem of describing an urban plot and to propose a definition that can be used in comparative studies of historic towns. The need for a uniform definition results from comparative research using spatial databases and historical GIS (hGIS). The article discusses the problems in vectorization of plots for the purposes of hGIS analyses, as well as the methods of presenting urban plots on historical plans that have been used so far, on the example of the Historic Towns Atlas series. We compared the results of the analysis with the plot definitions appearing in the literature on urban studies. Based on the literature review and research discussed in the article, we developed and proposed a plot definition for the ontology of historical urban spaces.

Conducting Heritage Tourism-Led Urban Renewal in Historic Urban Spaces: A Case Study of Datong, China

To boost the local fiscal revenue through capital investment promotion, urban renewal/regeneration led by heritage tourism has become a critical way of creating the city brand, designing tourism destinations, and attracting property developers and investors to cities. However, current practices lack proper understanding and consideration in preserving and interpreting the authentic identity in urban China in recent times. This has led to simply copying and pasting historical forms and urban spaces, thus resulting in an identity crisis due to the reproducibility of tangible heritage – physical form, architectural style, superficial living style, etc. Against this backdrop, this research explores the involvement of both tangible and intangible heritage rooted in historical Chinese cities which are undergoing heritage tourism-led urban regeneration. It also attempts to understand the influences of authentic intangible heritage – social activities, cultural events, collective memories and others – in designing and shaping urban spaces to preserve and reconstruct the place identity. To achieve these aims, a conceptual framework based on the relevant concepts relating to historical heritage and culture-led urban regeneration was developed to lead the research. Moreover, this research will examine and assess concepts and themes developed from the conceptual framework by employing qualitative research methods (including semi-structured interviews, on-site observation and photography, and analysis of relevant planning and designing schemes) in the case study of heritage tourism-led urban renewal in the old town of city Datong, China. A new conceptual framework was then developed in this research, contributing to the field of urban regeneration and place identity in both theoretical and practical aspects. The developing process of the conceptual framework and its findings help to provide a theoretical way of exploring the manifestation of local history and cultural resources in preserving and reconstructing the place identity of the Chinese historical urban context undergoing heritage tourism-led urban regeneration.

تحقيق الحفاظ المستدام للفراغات العمرانية التجارية التاريخية دراسة حالة (جدة التاريخية) Achieving the sustainable preservation of historical urban commercial spaces Case study (historic Jeddah)

يعد النشاط التجاري نشاط رئيسي يدخل ضمن مجموعة الانشطة المکونة لمقومات الحياة الاساسية للمجتمعات. ولکن تعرضت بعض المناطق التجارية التاريخية خلال الآونة الاخيرة الى بعض التغيرات المعاصرة المستمرة مما يؤثر بالسلب على تلک المناطق من حيث التوافق مع البيئة المحيطة والتراث العمراني ذو القيمة المعمارية المميزة مما يستدعى استغلال کافة الوسائل وتسخير المجهودات من اجل الحفاظ على تلک المناطق لتستطيع الصمود والبقاء للأجيال القادمة والابقاء على ما تتضمنه من قيم تاريخية وعمرانية واجتماعية واقتصادية في إطار تطبيق منظومة التنمية المستدامة.لذلک يدرس البحث مفهوم الحفاظ المستدام التي تم التوصل اليها من خلال الدراسات السابقة والفراغات التجارية العمرانية ودراسة التوجيهات الحديثة لطريقة الاستدامة (codes) والوصول الي المعايير الخاصة بنظم الاستدامة المتفق عليها دوليا متمثلا في الإطار النظري المعتمد عليQualitative method ۔ويعتمد البحث في الإطار التحليل على منهجيتين الاولي منهجية Correlational methodعند لعمل استبيان استطلاعي لجوانب الاستدامة الخاصة بالفراغات العمرانية التجارية والوصول الي النتائج النهائية لکل معيار وتوضيح أهميته النسبية للتقييم. ومنهجية Case study methodعند تحليل وتقييم استدامة عملية الحفاظ بأسواق جده التاريخية کدراسة حاله، والخروج بنتائج تحليلية واضحة.

Urban Sustainability through Innovative Open Space Design. A Novel Approach to the Regeneration of Historic Open Spaces in Some Eastern European Countries and China

Looking at the urban development of the past two centuries, we can conclude that engineers and architects have been dominating the field of urban design all over Europe. Architects played the most important role, which became even more significant with the increase of urban development. Beyond the architectural approach, a greater importance had been attributed to ecological aspects of urban planning by the turn of the 20th century as, for example, the advance of the garden city movement illustrates. This article focuses on the review of crucial open-space renewal projects from two Eastern European cities and China. The case studies are used to shed light on the characteristics and historical values of contemporary open-space design, based on innovative and landscape architectural approaches and artistic solutions. The study shows that the original role of urban open spaces was significantly extended during the first decades of the 21st century. The increased needs for representation—commercial, cultural and living functions, and ecological and healthy benefits—led to a multifunctional approach in design and planning. The renewal of the historic urban open spaces is carried out under an integrated framework and a unified goal: the development-oriented heritage conservation. Based on strong economic aspects, the general tendency is clearly positive—in spite of still-existing problematic issues (for instance, the management of public transport or the status of public utilities). In the time of a growing awareness of open-space heritage, this overview tries to depict possible general principles of a long-term renewal strategy built on local identity, heritage values and social sustainability.

ANALYTICAL METHODOLOGIES CONCERNING HISTORIC NEIGHBOURHOODS FOR URBAN RENEWAL IN SOUTHERN CHILE. HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE PLACE TO INTERVENE?

Historic urban spaces are emplacements that present a particular special interest due to their cultural value and their both urban and architectural pattern. The built environment of cities is composed of a number of variables – anthropic, spatial, morphological, environmental, social, constructive and atmospheric – and all of them must be part of a system that is capable of generating more comfortable and efficient environments. Currently, the work of expert professionals linked to the built environment implies an environmental challenge related to the buildings and their direct harmony with the natural environment; the development of comprehensive plans capable of administering, preserving and protecting historical-heritage constructions in areas susceptible to certain natural disasters; as well as the incorporation of sustainability criteria in urban planning instruments, which is one of the main objectives for regional and state public administrations. This research work intends to propose a comprehensive set of analytical methodologies focused on the morphology of urban blocks, the vitality of the neighbourhood and the functional service life state presented by heritage buildings in order to provide strategies for a proposal for urban regeneration in the case of Barrios Bajos of the city of Valdivia, in southern Chile. This study shows the implications of the proposed methodologies in order to verify their validity and empirically test the application of this type of proposal in one of the historic neighbourhoods of the city of Valdivia, used as a prototype of southern Chile.

PERSPEKTYWY ROZWOJU PRZESTRZENI PUBLICZNEJ W HISTORYCZNEJ CZĘŚCI MIASTA DNIPRO NA UKRAINIE

The article discusses the methods for reconstructing historical urban space of the industrial city of Dnipro in a post-industrial economy, strengthening globalization and digitalization processes of the social life of citizens, analyzing development milestones of the historical city center, identifying modern problems of the area under consideration and providing the ways to solve them as a conceptual project proposal.

The Influence of New Annex's Development on Historic Urban Spaces; an Example of Louver Museum Square

With the emergence of modernism, the main objective of promotion and protection of the historical urban areas according to the existing historic context, new context had presented a disaster through the modern years. The notion of development and protection has prepared the necessity to make a connection between the historical usages of space and provide a new annex usage. This study will focus on the new usages of historical spaces for the purpose of designing the new annex constructions. The main objective of the present study is to explore what occurs in historic space when annex extension is outdistancing historical boundaries? For this aim, the study will measure the Louver Museum square as the case study. The methodology of the present research is situated on a qualitative method regarding the literature review and available maps and photography analysis.

3D Spatial Development of Historic Urban Landscape to Promote a Historical Spatial Data System

Spatial experience in historical street corridors is essential to encourage a continuously satisfying experience of a historical aesthetic leading to a better quality of the historic urban landscape, which is significant for making precious memory of the city's history. 3D spatial formation along the historic street corridor fosters the generation of historical memory of the urban space. Both tangible and intangible aspects attached to the historic street corridors' spatial configuration have significant meaning that forms the integrity of the valuable historical urban space. The research area is in Kayutangan street as one of the historical street corridors in Malang City, East Java, Indonesia. The study aims to develop the historical spatial data system of the Kayutangan corridor to construct an online digital spatial database and enforce it as a policy decision reference by the government in managing the urban development in historical areas, especially in the Kayutangan street corridors. The 3D spatial development of historic urban landscape performed the combination of 3D modeling software, 3D visualization software, and 3D spatial multimedia application authoring platforms. The collaboration of three systems generated three spatial data types, namely a 3D spatial-passive observation data, a 3D spatial-active observation data, and 3D spatial-interactive simulation data. As a result, this study produces 3D spatial multimedia contained the 3D spatial of historical data of Kayutangan streetscape, which performs as a historical spatial data system to reference the smart development of cultural tourism and heritage cities in Malang.

Analysis and Evaluation of Historical Public Spaces in Small Towns in the Polish Region of Warmia

Public spaces play a special role in the social life, culture, and traditions of historical towns. Public spaces are defined by their urban layout and architectural design and they embody the unique identity of old towns. They integrate local communities and contribute to the formation of social bonds. Urban planning and architecture play an important role in this process. The historical character of public spaces is a prerequisite for social interactions. The aim of this study was to analyze and evaluate historical urban public spaces (market squares) in three small towns in the region of Warmia in north-eastern Poland. Architectural features, urban layout, and the composition of urban and architectural factors, which are largely responsible for synthetic perception of multidimensional space, were evaluated. These goals were achieved with the use of an interpretive historical research method based on original evaluation criteria. The results were used to identify public spaces that require revitalization. Revitalization programs help preserve or revive attractive locations by restoring the right balance between economic and social factors and cultural heritage. The study demonstrated that orderly and harmonious planning of public spaces considerably influences perceptions of space.