清末民初天津城厢街道改造中的官民分歧

Research on the Conflict of Officials and Civilians in the Road Rebuilding of Tianjin in the Late Qing Dynasty and Early Republic of China

清末民初,天津城厢地区的人口增长使得街道空间日益紧张。商民通过扩建沿街房屋拓展空间,而政府则以租界为样板,试图拓宽拉直马路,整理路政。由于缺乏明确的权利划分,政府与商民之间围绕街道宽度引发了持续的争议。政府认为街道改造是提升政治文明的标志,而且自身具有改造街道的合法权力与整理路政的责任,因此往往根据工程需要而决定路宽。商民则从路政中的恤民角度出发维护自身空间,认为无论对于民生还是商务,政府的拓路工程始终弊大于利,在试图将侵占空间合法化的同时积极抵制拓路工程。而街道的宽度最终取决于政府与商民之间的均衡点,并随着双方力量与态度的变化而改变。

The growth of population caused narrowness of the streets in Tianjin in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. Merchants extended their shops with street frontage. In contrast,the officials attempted to widen roads of city area as roads in concessions. The conflict between officials and merchants increased because of indistinct division of rights. The officials considered the road rebuliding as a mark of social progress and believed that they have legal rights to rebuild the road. Therefore the officials designed width of road based on engineering requirements. The merchant fought against the road rebuilding due to the conservation of their shops with street frontage and livelihood. They considered that the road rebuilding would destroy the economic prosperity of community. The actual width of road was based on the negotiating result between officials and merchants,and changed with the strength and attitude of both sides.