Balancing Heritage Conservation and Urban Vitality Through a Multi-Tiered Governance Strategy: A Case Study of Nanjing’s Yihe Road Historic District, China

Qinghai Zhang (), Tianyu Cheng, Peng Xu and Xin Jiang ()
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Qinghai Zhang: College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Tianyu Cheng: College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Peng Xu: Jangsu Bargreen Landscape Architecture Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210046, China
Xin Jiang: College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-25

Abstract: Historic districts face persistent challenges balancing heritage preservation and urban vitality due to fragmented governance and static conservation. This study develops a multi-source data-driven evaluation system coupling spatial quality and urban vitality, focusing on China’s Republican-era historic districts with Nanjing’s Yihe Road as a case study. Integrating field surveys and big data (street view imagery, POI data, heatmaps), we quantitatively assess environmental quality and vitality. Key findings reveal a distinct spatial pattern: “high-quality concentration internally” and “high-vitality concentration externally,” where core areas exhibit functional homogenization and low vitality, while peripheries show high pedestrian activity but lack spatial coherence. Clustering analysis categorizes streets into four types based on quality and vitality levels, highlighting contradictions between static conservation and adaptive reuse. The study deepens understanding of spatial differentiation mechanisms and reveals universal patterns for sustainable development strategies. A multi-tiered governance strategy is proposed: urban-level flexible governance harmonizes cross-departmental policies via adaptive planning, district-level differentiated governance activates spatial value through functional reorganization, and street-level fine-grained management prioritizes incremental micro-renewal. The research underscores the critical need to balance heritage preservation with contemporary functional demands during urban renewal, offering a practical framework to resolve spatial conflicts and reconcile conservation with regeneration.

Keywords: urban regeneration; heritage conservation; historic districts; spatial differentiation; governance strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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