Research on Informal Space Pattern Language and Its Application in Nanhuaxi Historic District from the Perspective of Organic Renewal

As vital repositories of urban history and culture, historical districts encapsulate both tangible memories and the fabric of social life. However, current renewal practices in China predominantly emphasize the physical spatial form, often neglecting the value of daily life. This oversight leads to issues such as commercial homogenization, cultural loss, and the erosion of local identity, potentially triggering spatial symbolization and gentrification conflicts. To reshape the organic order of these districts, it is crucial to recognize self-organizational principles and focus on the grassroots power of public participation. This study examines the Nanhuaxi historical district in Guangzhou, focusing on the informal spaces spontaneously created through residents' self-initiated modifications. These spaces represent residents' spontaneous responses to their daily needs, embodying everyday logic and driving incremental urban growth. Their micro-diversity injects vitality into the district. However, informal spaces also present shortcomings such as safety deficiencies and disorder. This research advocates for absorbing rather than eliminating informal elements, transforming them into valuable resources that can activate a sense of identity and participation within the district. The Nanhuaxi district currently faces a dual disconnect between its physical space and social relationships. New constructions disrupt the traditional fabric and human-scaled dimensions, creating spatial segregation. "One-size-fits-all" urban management suppresses local characteristics, yet informal activities continue to emerge. Surveys reveal that residents engage in informal businesses, spatial occupation, and spatial modifications by circumventing regulations, reflecting a conflict between planning design and the demands of daily life. While these phenomena pose potential risks, they also reveal the rationality of bottom-up approaches to filling planning gaps, necessitating systematic guidance to achieve their positive transformation. The central research question of this study is: How can the organic order of informal spaces within historic districts be transformed into sustainable renewal strategies? In other words, how can bottom-up informal practices by residents support top-down planning decisions, achieving synergy and integration between the two approaches? This study introduces Christopher Alexander's pattern language theory. As a research approach centered on everyday life, the theory distills recurring environmental problems and their solutions into "patterns," organizing them into a coherent language system. Its defining feature lies in constructing a "space-event" association framework, visually linking material forms with usage behaviors. This provides an effective tool for analyzing complex social spaces, such as spontaneously constructed everyday life spaces (informal spaces). Current domestic renewal research based on pattern language theory is relatively comprehensive at the analytical level, but lacks exploration in practical application. This paper attempts to apply this theory to the study of informal spaces in historical districts. By combining multi-level analysis to construct a pattern language network and screening pattern types suitable for renewal goals, the study ultimately formulates renewal strategies for the Nanhuaxi district, promoting public participation in the informal construction of the district and realizing the profound meaning of organic renewal.