城市设计在英国文化再生中的作用——以英国曼彻斯特北角街区项目为例

近几十年来,文化再生(Cultural Regeneration)在英国城市发展中扮演了非常重要的角色。本文提出城市设计可以通过一些具体方法成为文化再生过程的一部分,具体措施体现为混合用途开发、环境改善计划和公共艺术等,特别是公共艺术,将有助于表达并发展一个地区的文化。本文首先回顾了文化在城市更新计划中的重要性及其所做出的贡献,然后概述城市设计理论如何与文化再生的实践联系起来。通过1998年夏天在英国曼彻斯特市中心被称为北角街区(Northern Quarter)的一项实证研究,进一步探讨了城市设计与文化再生的实际结合,特别是关于一些再生项目对该地区文化造成的影响。在此基础上,提出英国文化再生项目中的城市设计应用对中国当前城市更新的借鉴意义。

In recent decades,cultural regeneration has played a very important role in British urban development.This paper proposes that urban design can become a part of the process of cultural regeneration through some specific methods.The specific measures include mixed use development,environmental improvement plan and public art,especially public art,which will help to express and develop the culture of a region.This paper first reviews the importance of culture in urban renewal plan and its contribution,and then summarizes how the theory of urban design connects with the practice of cultural regeneration.Based on an empirical study called Northern Quarter in the center of Manchester in the summer of 1998,this paper further discusses the practical combination of urban design and cultural regeneration,especially the impact of some regeneration projects on the culture of the area.On this basis,it puts forward the reference significance of urban design application in British cultural regeneration project to the current urban regeneration in China.