Historic City Research Articles

Heritage Regeneration Models for Traditional Courtyard Houses in a Northern Chinese City (Jinan) in the Context of Urban Renewal

The fundamental disputes in urban heritage regeneration stem from variations in power dynamics and inherent value systems among stakeholders. Addressing conflicts and power differentials involving governmental bodies, market forces, community residents, experts, and scholars is crucial for fostering sustainable urban heritage development. Recently, these contradictions have grown more pronounced as China’s urbanization has transitioned from rapid expansion to a phase focused on existing urban assets. In the present research, the typical traditional courtyard-style residential buildings in Jinan, a historic city in northern China, were selected as the object of study. These houses often suffer from problems such as outdated infrastructure and low living conditions and have become difficult to adapt to contemporary urban life. A case study approach was employed focusing on a representative courtyard house to develop models for renewing and regenerating urban heritage, specifically tailored to traditional courtyard houses. The aim was to address conflicts and power disparities among urban heritage stakeholders through diverse mechanisms. Methodologically, the research integrates historical study and field investigation, participatory analysis, and policy analysis. Primary data sources include field surveys, historical research, oral interviews, and drone aerial photography. Models were constructed in the present study—namely, the heritage self-renewal, heritage revitalization, and heritage transformation models—for traditional courtyard houses. These models were designed to foster sustainable urban heritage development through collaborative efforts across various stakeholders and administrative levels. They will optimize the renewal mechanism of urban heritage, thus providing diversity and multiple possibilities for the preservation and reuse of architectural heritage in China. They aim to realize comprehensive urban heritage values, including vitality, health, efficiency, and equity, while accommodating the interests of diverse stakeholders.

Investigating the Satisfaction of Residents in the Historic Center of Macau and the Characteristics of the Townscape: A Decision Tree Approach to Machine Learning

The historic city of Macau is China’s 31st world heritage site, and its residents have actively contributed to preserving its heritage and will continue to reside there for the foreseeable future. Residents’ satisfaction with the current urban environment is closely related to the landscape characteristics of the towns surrounding the historic center of Macau. This study aims to analyze the relationship between landscape characteristics and residents’ satisfaction, determine the key factors affecting their satisfaction and how they are combined, and provide a scientific basis for urban planning. This study used a decision tree machine learning model to analyze 524 questionnaire survey responses that addressed five aspects of the historic town’s landscape: the architectural, Largo Square, street, mountain and sea, and commercial landscapes. The data-driven approach helped find the best decision path. The results indicate that (1) the layout of Largo Square, the commercial colors and materials, the location of the former humanities and religion center, and the commercial signage system are the primary factors influencing residents’ satisfaction. (2) Incorporating decision tree parameters with information entropy as the splitting criterion and a minimum sample split number of two (with no maximum depth) led to the best performance when investigating residents’ satisfaction with Macau’s historic town landscape characteristics. (3) A reasonable layout for Largo Square (satisfaction > 3.50), prominent and harmonious commercial colors and materials (satisfaction > 3.50), rich cultural and religious elements (satisfaction > 4.50), and an excellent commercial signage system (satisfaction > 4.00) can significantly improve residents’ satisfaction. This provides important empirical support and a reference for urban planning and landscape design in Macau and other historical and cultural cities.

The Role of Soundscape on Urban Attractiveness in Traditional Cities

The soundscape is an immanent part of the open spaces in historical cities. This study aims to investigate the role of soundscape in enhancing urban attraction and its effect on intentional behavior. This is based on a questionnaire survey, which is conducted in compliance with ISO/TS 12913-2:2018, of 31 visitors in the Almutanabi and Almurad (alkadhmya) streets in historical blocks in Baghdad city. SPSS software is used to analyze the data. The results indicate that soundscape has a positive significance on urban attraction and the overall response to the sound source identification shows that the sound of human beings is dominant strongly while the sound of technology comes in second place and the sounds of nature are limited. In general, positive soundscape perception may contribute to the urban attraction of open spaces in historical cities.

Preservation of Historical Buildings through the Lens of International Law

Historical buildings deserve preservation not only for their aesthetic features but also as guardians of cultural and spiritual values. This is now acknowledged by several international law norms. Nonetheless, the legal discourse about their preservation carries a set of problematic implications because it is hard to adopt regulations that combine protection, promotion and valorisation with economic investments and market strategies and with everyday urban life. This is particularly evident with regard to immovables located within historical cities or towns whose economy depends on marketing the cultural identity, authenticity and history of the place to outsiders. This paper highlights the approach adopted by the most relevant international legal instruments which focus on the protection of what belongs to the historical city’s cultural heritage as being of crucial significance for individuals and communities in relation to their cultural identity. In this perspective, the safeguard of historical buildings can be linked to the right of access to and enjoyment of cultural heritage: a specific human right recognized under international law. The issue at stake is how to comply with principles and rules of international law while at the same time respond to the needs of modern life and economy. This paper identifies the rules and principles of international law that have gained legal relevance and can provide valid tools to states and local administrations to implement and fulfil protectionist policies for historical buildings.

Investigating the Spatiotemporal Pattern between Street Vitality in Historic Cities and Built Environments Using Multisource Data in Chaozhou, China

Investigating the Spatiotemporal Pattern between Street Vitality in Historic Cities and Built Environments Using Multisource Data in Chaozhou, China

Foreword to the special issue “Adjacent Interacting Masonry Structures”

This special issue focuses on the seismic performance of adjacent interacting masonry structures, particularly in historical European city centers. The AIMS project provided unique data on interacting masonry structures through large-scale shake table tests on two adjacent half-scale stone masonry buildings. The experimental campaign was accomapgnied by a blind prediction study where participants modeled the aggregate’s seismic response. Findings highlight challenges in accurately predicting displacement demands and failure modes, providing critical insights for improving future modeling techniques for masonry buildings.

Resistance and stylistic reverence: A typological study of colonial facades in Tlemcen (Algeria)

Abstract In Algeria, which was colonised for over a century, the arrival of the French colonisers led to the introduction of new architectural styles imported from Europe. This adoption of an exogenous style in a different cultural context was only made possible by French military domination. Importing and imposing a style was not always easy, as Algerian resistance was as much stylistic and socio-cultural as it was military. To illustrate this point, we have taken the case of the historic city of Tlemcen (Northwest Algeria), where the French occupiers met with stylistic resistance complicating the achievement of their colonial project. Our research raises the following question: What forms of stylistic resistance are manifested in colonial architecture in the city of Tlemcen? Our aim is to identify the specific characteristics of colonial architecture in Tlemcen, in order to bring out the signs of stylistic resistance that testify to a desire to maintain a local cultural identity despite the colonial influence. The typological analysis of colonial facades serves as a tool and a means of providing in-depth understanding of architectural facades and typological classification in view of the diversity of styles and ornamentation of colonial facades in Tlemcen. This resistance manifests itself in European revivalism in Tlemcen, which involved an exceptional effort aimed simultaneously at composition and a search for stylistic anchorage and originality. It also manifested itself at the level of the native population, who stepped in to protect their cultural heritage and identity against the colonial authorities. Moreover, a certain form of stylistic reverence can be detected, expressed in avoiding pronounced aesthetic or stylistic expressions, favouring instead a more universal and timeless appearance.

Employing the Historic Urban Landscape Approach for Planning of Historic Places: Directions for the Preservation of Kota Lama Gorontalo, in Indonesia

There is a general concern that the development of historic urban areas can damage cultural heritage sites. Kota Lama Gorontalo located in Gorontalo City, Gorontalo Province, Indonesia is such a cultural heritage site. This area was a bustling port city in the past. Its strategic location being between two crowded shipping areas, namely the South China Sea and Tomini Bay has made Kota Lama Gorontalo grow into an important city in Sulawesi, as the center of a traditional kingdom. This study investigates the historical layers of Kota Lama Gorontalo and threats to its preservation. It is based on the premise that by applying the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach, historic city areas can be developed to meet the changing functional and technical needs while maintaining their character and identity. The research obtains data related to the past context from archival data, maps, and old photographs. Data related to the present-day context is obtained from field research. The findings show that the long period of existence of Kota Lama Gorontalo has produced a variety of cultural remains that have become the identity of the region. Undeniably, it needs to be preserved because these cultural remains are deteriorating because of the developments that do not heed conservation rules and also because of natural disasters. This paper offers recommendations for the preservation of Kota Lama Gorontalo based on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach.

공주시 축제 콘텐츠를 토대로 한 스토리텔링 연구: 공주시와 에든버러 축제 사례를 중심으로

The purpose of this study is to suggest ways to develop cultural content through Gongju City's history, culture, and festival resources. In order to achieve the research purpose, this study sought to establish differentiated values based on the paradigm shift in Gongju City's dynamic cultural tourism interpretation method and the case of the Edinburgh International Festival. Gongju City, like the world-renowned Edinburgh International Festival, is a region with a royal castle from the Baekje era and a variety of festivals. Therefore, Gongju City has the potential to provide various attractions, fun, and entertainment elements and realize differentiated value through efficient operation, planning, and integration of local festivals using storytelling techniques. Gongju City will develop differentiated festival content, invite traditional folk performance groups from various countries, provide attractive content for visitors, and have the potential to host a differentiated festival on a global scale in stages.

Place and Memory in Commemorating Remembrance of George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site

This paper seeks to delve into the dynamic interplay between place and memory at the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a focus on how its physical monuments serve as vessels for collective memory and narrators of the city's history. This study engages with theoretical perspectives of memory and place to analyze commemorative processes and evaluates their role in maintaining cultural continuity and identity. The study conducted semi-structured interviews and distribute surveys among a carefully selected cross-section of George Town's populace, thus ensuring a representative narrative mosaic. The inquiry will include an assessment of the site and exploring its significance in the community's social fabric. The study recognizes the complexity of interpreting memories within ever-changing urban landscapes and addresses potential biases. Childhood memories, especially when structures remain, shape a person's image of a place. Their tales demonstrate their love for it. The length of a person's relationship with a place most affects their opinion. Long-term residents like it more. Place and memory are vital to commemorating George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This relationship must frequently be adapted to urban life. The city acknowledges memory interpretation, resolves prejudices about memorial traditions, and embraces inclusive narratives to preserve cultural memory for future generations. The outcomes will offer new insights into conservation strategies and enrich our understanding of historical urban environments.

Effects of an extreme heat event on indoor conditions of social heritage housing in Mediterranean climate

Social heritage housing in Mediterranean historic cities is particularly vulnerable to climate change hazards as protection policies lead to its exclusion from energy retrofitting programmes, leaving their residents - at higher risk of fuel poverty and the heat-island effect – defenceless. Increasingly frequent heatwaves can potentially produce “overheating” in these buildings, a thermal state that impedes people's comfort with harmful consequences to their health. Other indoor air quality factors, like humidity and CO₂ levels, also affect residents' health. The objective of this research is to evaluate the actual indoor environmental quality of three occupied dwellings in social buildings of high heritage value located in two historic cities in Andalusia (Spain) during the extreme heat events that occurred in 2022. A monitoring campaign was conducted and the data collected over the summer was analysed and evaluated using existing metrics. Our results show that the CO2 concentration rates generally remained below the upper limit of 1000 ppm in all cases, probably due to the high air infiltration rates measured (5.83 h−1, 4.39 h−1 and 14.65 h−1). On the contrary, the relative humidity rates were outside the acceptable range (45–60 %) for 90 % of the occupied hours in all cases. In the warmest city, overheating was continuous and severe in all rooms, according to the metric adopted (CIBSE standards TM52 and TM59 under the adaptive thermal comfort model). The situation was particularly critical in the free-running bedroom, but the overheating index values in the living rooms, where air conditioning was installed and used about 50 % of the occupied time, also deviated significantly from the acceptable limits.

Environmental Perception about Pedestrian Environment on Cultural Visitation Roads

Cultural visitation routes represent an important opportunity for the public display of the famous historical and cultural city of Beijing, and its pedestrian environment, as a linear spatial carrier linking various historical and cultural attractions, is of great significance for the preservation of the famous historical and cultural city of Beijing through analysis of its spatial quality. At present, Beijing’s cultural visitation routes are in the stage of exploration and improvement, and scholars mainly focus on the selection, integration, and construction of cultural visitation routes in their research on cultural visitation routes, while the amount of research on the quality of the pedestrian environment for visitors is relatively small; in particular, the evaluation methods and indicator systems are still in the exploration stage. In this study, from the perspective of environmental behaviour theory, we took the Forbidden City–The Red House of Peking University–Wangfujing cultural visitation route as the research object and constructed a structural equation model to determine the perception of the pedestrian environment quality of the cultural visitation route in Beijing, starting from the visitors’ feelings of the pedestrian environment of the cultural visiting route. This study found that there is a positive correlation between the quality of spatial behaviours, the quality of the pedestrian environment, and the quality of the facilities on the emotional response of the visitors, with the quality of the facilities having the greatest impact on the emotional response of the visitors; among the observational variables, cultural and scientific facilities, spatial landscapes, street furniture, and safety play a more obvious role, and they are the main factors affecting the emotional response of the visitors. Based on the results of this study, an optimisation strategy for enhancing the pedestrian environments of Beijing’s cultural visitation routes is proposed to provide a reference for their design and optimisation.

"Fora Saneouro, a água é do povo": social representations of residents of Ouro Preto, Brazil, on the privatization of water and sanitation services

The privatization of water and sanitation services constitutes a significant debate worldwide. Contrary to the trend in other countries, Brazil has been moving toward the privatization of these essential services. Within this scenario is the historic city of Ouro Preto, where water and sanitation services were privatized in 2019, leading to the formation of a broad popular movement against privatization. In this context, this study aimed to identify and analyze the social representations of the local population regarding the privatization of these services. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with native residents of the city, whose ages ranged from 26 to 90 years. The results point to the residents' dissatisfaction with the service provision by the private company, with privatization being perceived as a "great evil," anchored in values and conceptions aligned with anti-privatization groups. Remunicipalization emerges as the residents' desire and the possible path to achieving social justice and the realization of human rights.

Features of the Architecture of Modern Residential Buildings in the City of Vladimir

For the first time, an analytical review of examples of the inclusion of new residential buildings in different time periods from the 1930s to the first quarter of the XXI century in the development of the city of Vladimir is given. One of the most important tasks of modern architecture is to find a practical solution to the theoretical problem of the interaction of tradition and innovation. The study of this problem on the example of historical cities in Russia occupies a special place in the theory of architecture, since a valuable historical and architectural environment needs a delicate approach when integrating new objects into it. The valuable historical buildings of the city of Vladimir mostly consist of stone houses built in the classicism style of the XVIII–XIX centuries, which formed the image of the historical center. However, not only the conscious appeal of architects to historical examples of local architecture served to reflect classicism in the appearance of buildings of subsequent eras, but also political and socio-economic aspects. The peculiarities of environmental adaptation techniques used in the construction of residential buildings by Soviet and Russian architects are noted.

Examination of the Placemaking Concept on Bursa Historical Cumhuriyet Street

In historical cities, urban public open space’s identity is a fundamental aspect that contributes to shaping the identity of communities. The architectural elements succeeded in expressing the identity of the community and maintaining the continuity of identity. The city's identity is determined by the city's geographical context, cultural level, architectural elements, local traditions, and quality of public open spaces. In recent years the multi dimensional place-making concept become an interesting study area in increasing urban identity. The concept of place-making coines to describe a multi-disciplinary approach in planning, designing, and urban public open spaces management to improve the urban environment and the quality of life. In this study, the conceptual framework of the topic was drawn by putting forth the concept of place and place-making to improve the quality of places in historical public open spaces. The studying area is Cumhuriyet Street in the historical center of Bursa City, which is located in the traditional trade center as a pedestrian road. The historical background is examined to demonstrate its potential in creating a place-making concept in the city's historic core.

Rebuilding with sand roses: Cold sintering of sand-gypsum mixture for sustainable brick production

In the arid climate of the Sahara Desert, several historical cities dating back to the 16th century were constructed using bricks made from sand roses, a rosette-like rock composed of sand and gypsum. This study proposes the cold sintering of sand – dihydrate gypsum (uncalcined) mixtures as a sustainable approach to develop geomimetic sand roses with satisfactory mechanical performance. The results showed that crucial factors for enhancing the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the cold-sintered sand-gypsum mixtures are reducing gypsum size, utilizing cyclic loading, and applying higher pressures. Reducing sand size or introducing lubricant has minimal or negative effects. Cold-sintered sand-gypsum mixtures containing over 30 % micron-sized gypsum, subjected to cyclic pressures of 100 MPa for 15 minutes, can achieve superior UCS values compared to equidimensional concrete bricks. In addition, coating the mixture with calcium carbonate can be a viable approach for protecting against weathering agents. Coating and recycling the sand-gypsum mixture do not compromise the mechanical performance of the bricks. The proposed integration of sustainable materials and manufacturing practices has the potential to reduce costs, energy consumption, and industrial emissions, while promoting a circular economy and resource preservation. The proposed brick is referred to as “sand rose brick.”

Heritage and entrepreneurial urbanism: unequal economies, social exclusion, and conservative cultures

ABSTRACT This article articulates an argument observed in the voices of key stakeholders in Bath, Edinburgh, and York, in conversations with the literature, whereby heritage-led entrepreneurial urbanism practices lead to cultures that are conservative in nature. Consequently, such historic cities are less able to overcome inherent social challenges around unequal economies, high house prices, and the resulting exclusion. Through using locally controlled resources to encourage a more spatially fixed and equal economy, however, historic cities may reduce these social challenges and encourage the more progressive and vibrant cultures that will allow them to engage with the environmental challenges faced by all.

Estimating Litter Production Amount and Quality for Eldar Pine and Umbraculifera Elm Trees in the Historic City of Yazd

Estimating Litter Production Amount and Quality for Eldar Pine and Umbraculifera Elm Trees in the Historic City of Yazd

Французские куклы в региональных одеждах на почтовых открытках – изобразительный источник по истории традиционного костюма

The article is devoted to the study of postcards with images of dolls in the regional costumes of France. The visual appearance of the postcards, the nature of the images, and dolls’ garments have been analysed. The source base of the research is the author's philocartical collection, which is a part of the personal collection of ethnographic dolls "Peoples and attires". Single and serial postcards issued throughout the 20th century recorded the existence of exquisite, perfectly made miniature people, which makes these publications a historical source. Some of the postcards were printed for advertising purposes and reflected the products of a particular company; others captured museum and private collections. The postcards demonstrate a variety of regional costumes, the main details of which, although similar throughout the territory of France, differed in colour, shape or finishing details in each historical region, city, canton, and commune. A comparison of a real and a doll costume shows some conventionality of the latter and the fact that the creators focused on hats. The dolls reflect the following features of costume making: handwork, the use of natural fabrics and lace – the results of work by artisans of different specialties. With some reservations, postcards with images of costume dolls can be viewed as visual materials for studying costumes from different regions of France, as well as an important graphic source on this issue.

Developing a Framework for Understanding Vulnerability of Public Spaces to Urban Processes: Case of Historic Cities in Rajasthan

Developing a Framework for Understanding Vulnerability of Public Spaces to Urban Processes: Case of Historic Cities in Rajasthan