Assessing the socio-cultural impact of urban revitalisation using Relative Positive Impact Index(RPII)

Urban heritage is a vital resource that connects communities to their local identity.Unplanned developments and rapid urbanisation often harm the authenticity of historic areas,disrupting the cultural fabric and altering their character.This study introduces the Relative Positive Impact Index(RPll),a novel technique for assessing the socio-cultural impacts of urban revitalisation.The significance of RPII lies in its ability to quantitatively evaluate the impacts on the cultural fabric and integrity of historic urban areas,which is crucial for sustainable urban development.The study's objective is to apply RPII in evaluating qualitative socio-cultural characteristics in historic urban areas,with a focus on four main criteria and 16 sub-criteria,in the case of the Kuttichira precinct.The methodology integrates the analysis of published literature,a quantitative survey mapping the stakeholders'perception,and qualitative insights.This approach facilitates an in-depth understanding of how urban revitalisation affects local socio-cultural dynamics,preserving the authenticity and character of historic areas.The study reveals that the revitalisation project in Kuttichira positively impacts the socio-cultural fabric of the area,maintaining cultural integrity and addressing social challenges.These findings offer valuable insights for sustainable urban development and policymaking in historic areas.The study recommends the application of RPll in other urban precincts for comparative analysis and further development of urban development practices,contributing to informed urban policy and planning decisions.

New Lives, New Landscapes. Landscape, Heritage and Rural Revitalisation: Whose Cultural Values?

Worldwide interest in the cultural landscape concept-covering rural and urban spheres-is now a major theme in considerations of the management of cultural heritage places.The roots of this interconnection lie in the social,political and economic relationships between people and landscape which,in turn,is related to how human attachment to landscape plays a major role in determining our sense of place.Notably the fundamental actuality of place attachment through landscape is cross cultural.Epistemologically it crosses the boundaries of differing values across diverse cultures underscoring the fundamental cross cultural significance of landscape.Co­incidentally the phenomenon of the‘rise of cultural landscapes’(Jacques 1995)has been intimately interconnected with the way in which thinking has changed-philosophically and professionally-on what heritage is.There is in effect a clear link between heritage and landscape.It is in this context that this paper addresses challenges of think­ing and acting associated with China’s commitment to a rural revitalisation program.

When Heritage Is Rural: Environmental Conservation, Cultural Interpretation and Rural Renaissance in Chinese Listed Villages

This article argues that China’s growing attention towards villages in recent years has contributed to transforming the concept of built heritage and helped in disseminating a holistic idea of territory that has prepared the ground for the environmental turn the country is now experiencing.This conceptual transformation was carried on by a number of converging-although independent-initiatives from different governmental institutions and has been driven by different factors,most importantly,the need to mend the development gap between urban and rural areas,and the wish to rediscover the cultural heritage of the country.The Chinese experience in village preservation was conceived as an important component of a much wider corpus of measures,driven by the rural revitalisation discourse,and should therefore be situated within this broader conceptual framework.This perspec­tive leads to a distinctive approach to the concept of heritage and outlines a type of protection‘with Chinese char­acteristics’that will increasingly influence the international context.Drawn on three years of field observations and desk analysis,the article highlights some of the characters that define the Chinese experience in village preserva­tion,analysing the most important national lists of villages and examining various cases.

Key issues in promoting rural revitalisation in China

Since the rural revitalisation strategy was first introduced in the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China,government agencies and scholars have put forward a series of indicators to measure its implementation.However,such a large number of indicators complicate the process.The rural revitalisation strategy aims to boost agricultural labour productivity,reduce the urban–rural income disparity,and promote the equalisation of basic public services,thereby accelerating the modernisation of agriculture and rural areas.This paper puts forward five indicators to evaluate the progress of implementing the rural revitalisation strategy.The indicators,though simple,underscore the key issues in promoting rural revitalisation in China.This paper also suggests that the rural revitalisation policy should aim to improve the quality of life of the rural population and promote the equalisation of basic public services rather than to reverse the population flow brought by industrialisation and urbanisation.

Creative Chinese Countryside? Township-Village Enterprises as Incubators

Since the turn of the century,creative industries have displayed considerable power in transforming the social and economic landscapes of most global metropolises,including such Chinese mega-cities as Beijing and Shanghai.However,the story of creative industries does not end there.Recent studies have focused on the role of creative sector in the countryside.It has been argued that the creative sector can effectively contribute to diver­sifying socio-economic development in rural areas by increasing employment,enhancing the quality of life,and promoting social inclusion and community development.With the aim to chart new paths for China’s rural revitalisa­tion and address the country’s‘three rural issues’(i.e.agriculture,rural areas and farmers),this paper examines the potentials and challenges to developing the creative sector in rural China.It first reviews the academic debate about expanding the development of creative industries from urban to rural areas.Drawing on the research and classifica­tion of creative industries in rural Western Ireland,this study identifies industries characterised by‘content creation and production’and‘creative design services’,which would have potential in rural China.The major impediments to and crucial factors for developing rural creative industries in China are investigated and appraised within the frame­work of‘creative people,creative place,and creative support’.After analysing emerging practices in Jiangsu Province,this paper highlights the potential of abandoned industrial complexes in rural parts of China’s coastal regions,which can act as incubators for creative industries.Those former manufacturing plants are the remains of township-village enterprises(TVEs),which constituted part of China’s flagship policy for rural regeneration in the 1980s.Not only do they have special architectural attributes favourable for creative production,but also represent the socio-economic entity of the village collective and are the carriers of cultural meanings and memories.This paper concludes with a set of recommendations for both public and private sectors.It calls for a more proactive stance from governments to promote the creative sector in rural areas and revitalise rural economies and communities through the reuse or regeneration of former TVEs.

Evolution of Peak Palace-Fortress in Tibet:The Reappearance of the Sangzhutse Palace-Fortress and Design of the Fortress Museum

The dzong fortresses were the typical buildings for the unification of religious and governmental rulers in old Tibet.The archetype of the dzong fortress can be dated back to the 2nd century BC and evolved into those fortresses built on the top of the holy mountains.The Sangzhutse Fortress,popularly called‘Little Potala’,was a hill-top building located in the centre of Shigatse city and was the grandest landmark among all local dzong fortresses of Tibet since the 14^(th)century.It acted as the commanding point of the city skyline,and the spiritual anchor for the locals.Unfortunately,it was destroyed during the political turmoil in the 1960s.From 2004 to 2010,under the sponsorship of the Shanghai Municipal Government in cooperation with the local Tibetan authority,the team of the Design Institute of Tongji University completed research work of the dzong fortress,developing the whole design from the initial sketches to building construction plans,and surveying the construction process.The consolidation of the remaining structure and the restoration of the original skyline of the fortress were achieved through the organic combination of local traditional materials and crafts with new building technologies,producing a new living landmark of Shigatse city while maintaining its remains.The interior space,designed as the first museum in Shigatse and Western Tibet,was opened in 2010.

The Historical Value and Contemporary Role of Vernacular Wisdom: The Case of Zengchong Village

Vernacular heritage embodies the great wisdom used by the ancients over thousands of years to create their habitats.By adhering to vernacular wisdom,the unique production modes and lifestyles shown in vernacular heritage created an ideal harmonious living environment in consensus with nature using orderly and rational methods for using natural resources.This study analyses the value of vernacular wisdom,establishes a content system based on three factors,i.e.,human needs,productivity and nature from the perspective of the human-nature relationship,and observes that the value of vernacular wisdom is to co-ordinate responses to human-nature conflicts.The representative vernacular wisdom of Zengchong Village,a Dong village in Guizhou Province,China can be summarised into three types:wisdom about physiological needs reflected in the combination of agricultural production with highly intensive living space systems and survival skills to make the best use of everything;wisdom about security needs reflected in the barn,fire-prevention and flood-control systems;and wisdom about selfactualisation,esteem,love or belonging reflected in social interaction and self-management,religious beliefs and identity.In addition to the conservation of the built vernacular heritage,vernacular wisdom should be emphasised in village planning and management to co-ordinate responses to new human-nature conflicts.Thus,a state of balance between human needs,productivity and nature can be achieved to realise the goal of sustainable rural heritage development.

Rural Heritage: Value, Conservation and Revitalisation-From the Perspective of the Human-Land Relationship

Today,rural revitalisation has become a national issue for China,and it is one that many countries also have to face.However,a rural area is not some wilderness that is open to any type of development.The long history of agricultural civilisation has left an extensive,precious heritage in rural areas;thus,revitalising rural areas has to be based on conserving that heritage.This special issue adopts the theme of‘rural heritage’:we provide a platform for dialogue between China and overseas scholars with the focus on conserving and revitalising rural heritage.There are six contributions in this special issue on matters that affect rural heritage in various countries.Among them,it is possible to understand methods of conservation design with respect to Japan’s rural heritage and follow the role of rural tourism in France.It is also possible to grasp the importance of promoting a building culture in rural parts of Germany.All these contributions offer profound insights for conserving and revitalising China’s rural heritage.This special issue also presents the thoughts of Chinese and foreign experts on recent issues related to China’s rural heritage;it provides a comprehensive introduction to the rural heritage protection system in China.Rural heritage is a complex system.Accordingly,the topics addressed in this special issue reflect the various characteristics involved.However,if readers study these articles from the perspective of the human-land relationship,they will be able to identify the deep correlations among them.

The Promotion of Building Culture in Rural Germany

Over the past two decades,building culture has increasingly caught the attention of the architectural and planning professions.The building culture is to be understood in the broadest sense as the sum of all cultural,economic,technological,social and ecological factors influencing the quality and process of planning and construc­tion.While the revitalisation and promotion of building culture is central to discussions on urban areas,these are generally ignored in regard to rural areas.This article aims to provide an overview of how building culture has been promoted in Germany’s rural areas,thereby contributing to international research on this topic.The paper adopts a general descriptive approach in examining the promotion of building culture in rural Germany.It provides back­ground knowledge on institutional promotion and demonstrates the diverse approaches implemented in represent­ative villages as best practices examples.The German experience confirms that the promotion of building culture is a meaningful and effective measure to help revitalise rural areas.Moreover,the three selected rural municipalities show how stakeholders from civil society are increasingly involved in measures to implement and promote building culture in the local context.

Contributing to Rural Revitalisation

Cheng Ju, Party Branch Secretary of Dashi Village, in Chongyang County, in Central China*s Hubei Province, was the only woman among the eight NPC deputies who answered questions during the first "deputies' passage" group interview at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, on March 5. She suggested China should establish detailed policies and measures to attract more companies to contribute to rural revitalization, and to establish more workshops in villages to provide more employment opportunities for farmers. At present, the county has seven village Party branch secretaries who were born in the 1990s, including Cheng.