Challenges and outlooks of incremental historic urban district renovation in China – take Beijing Hutong Dongsinan case as an example

Abstract

Incremental historic urban district renovation has emerged as a political consensus and trendy research field in China. However, intertwined challenges have made sustainable incremental renovation an increasingly demanding job. Evaluating incremental HUD renovation and exploring the potentials and limitations of such incremental approaches have become key topics in contemporary research. This paper proposes a theoretical and technical framework to evaluate HUD renovation processes and results regarding sustainability principles. With this framework, the paper evaluates the DSN quarter in Old Peking—one of the most representative cases of incremental urban renewal in China. Based on this evaluation, the paper identifies the key strengths, potentials and challenges of this emerging pattern, offering learnings towards sustainability for historic urban districts in and beyond Beijing Hutong.