Tianjin’s Italian-Style town: the conundrum between conservation practices and heritage value
Abstract The former Italian concession in Tianjin (1901–1945) has assumed symbolic significance for the modern urban redevelopment of this municipality through experimentation with distinctive practices of conservation management. In 1986, when the Historic Buildings Protection Area was defined, the...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SpringerOpen
2024-06-01
|
| Series: | Built Heritage |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-024-00132-5 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832585636312252416 |
|---|---|
| author | Jingting Wang Maurizio Marinelli |
| author_facet | Jingting Wang Maurizio Marinelli |
| author_sort | Jingting Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The former Italian concession in Tianjin (1901–1945) has assumed symbolic significance for the modern urban redevelopment of this municipality through experimentation with distinctive practices of conservation management. In 1986, when the Historic Buildings Protection Area was defined, the former Italian concession was identified as a pilot urban conservation project. In 2002, the public company Haihe Construction and Development Investment Ltd. was put in charge of the design and implementation plan for the site, which progressively assumed the semblance of an ‘Italian-Style Town’. The distinctive transformation raised significant questions regarding the architectural restyling as well as its specific historical and cultural value. In August 2020, the management of the Italian-Style town was handed over to the Hebei District Government. This coincided with the emergence of a proposal for the creation of a ‘Larger Italian-Style Town’, that extended beyond the borders of the original Italian concession to include the former Austrian concession and the western section of the ex-Russian concession. The redevelopment strategy for this larger area aimed to create a service-oriented commercial area, presented as an ‘urban living room’, while showcasing Tianjin as an international metropolis. This article analyses the evolution of the conservation strategy as well as the relevant legislation, management, and practices during the redevelopment of the former Italian concession. The aim of this study is to address the conflict between heritage protection and commercialisation. Thus, this article offers a critique of the trend towards functional replacement and structural adaptation to cater to the tourism industry rather than to the value of the community’s livelihood as a living heritage. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5b6e03e2b19b4138a3efe3c623cb1017 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-6802 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-06-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Built Heritage |
| spelling | doaj-art-5b6e03e2b19b4138a3efe3c623cb10172025-01-26T12:36:58ZengSpringerOpenBuilt Heritage2662-68022024-06-018111610.1186/s43238-024-00132-5Tianjin’s Italian-Style town: the conundrum between conservation practices and heritage valueJingting Wang0Maurizio Marinelli1Architecture Department, Tianjin UniversityInstitute of Global Prosperity, The Bartlett, University College LondonAbstract The former Italian concession in Tianjin (1901–1945) has assumed symbolic significance for the modern urban redevelopment of this municipality through experimentation with distinctive practices of conservation management. In 1986, when the Historic Buildings Protection Area was defined, the former Italian concession was identified as a pilot urban conservation project. In 2002, the public company Haihe Construction and Development Investment Ltd. was put in charge of the design and implementation plan for the site, which progressively assumed the semblance of an ‘Italian-Style Town’. The distinctive transformation raised significant questions regarding the architectural restyling as well as its specific historical and cultural value. In August 2020, the management of the Italian-Style town was handed over to the Hebei District Government. This coincided with the emergence of a proposal for the creation of a ‘Larger Italian-Style Town’, that extended beyond the borders of the original Italian concession to include the former Austrian concession and the western section of the ex-Russian concession. The redevelopment strategy for this larger area aimed to create a service-oriented commercial area, presented as an ‘urban living room’, while showcasing Tianjin as an international metropolis. This article analyses the evolution of the conservation strategy as well as the relevant legislation, management, and practices during the redevelopment of the former Italian concession. The aim of this study is to address the conflict between heritage protection and commercialisation. Thus, this article offers a critique of the trend towards functional replacement and structural adaptation to cater to the tourism industry rather than to the value of the community’s livelihood as a living heritage.https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-024-00132-5TianjinItalian-Style townConservation managementUrban redevelopmentHeritage valueCommercialisation |
| spellingShingle | Jingting Wang Maurizio Marinelli Tianjin’s Italian-Style town: the conundrum between conservation practices and heritage value Built Heritage Tianjin Italian-Style town Conservation management Urban redevelopment Heritage value Commercialisation |
| title | Tianjin’s Italian-Style town: the conundrum between conservation practices and heritage value |
| title_full | Tianjin’s Italian-Style town: the conundrum between conservation practices and heritage value |
| title_fullStr | Tianjin’s Italian-Style town: the conundrum between conservation practices and heritage value |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tianjin’s Italian-Style town: the conundrum between conservation practices and heritage value |
| title_short | Tianjin’s Italian-Style town: the conundrum between conservation practices and heritage value |
| title_sort | tianjin s italian style town the conundrum between conservation practices and heritage value |
| topic | Tianjin Italian-Style town Conservation management Urban redevelopment Heritage value Commercialisation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-024-00132-5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jingtingwang tianjinsitalianstyletowntheconundrumbetweenconservationpracticesandheritagevalue AT mauriziomarinelli tianjinsitalianstyletowntheconundrumbetweenconservationpracticesandheritagevalue |