The Incremental Regeneration of Guangzhou Haopan Street Historic District

With the increasing emphasis on historical and cultural heritage in China, the protection and renewal of historical blocks have become significant issues in urban planning. Over recent years, China has achieved notable success in the protection and renewal of historical blocks. However, some areas with slightly lower historical and cultural value have not yet been categorized as legally protected historical areas, and their preservation and renewal have been overlooked. These areas often lack sufficient attention and investment, leading to the gradual disappearance of their historical features and cultural characteristics, posing a challenge to the inheritance of urban historical culture and the protection of urban features. In the trend of further promoting the protection and revitalization of urban historical and cultural resources, it is necessary to find appropriate methods of preservation and renewal for these easily neglected historical areas. This paper takes Haopan Street, a historical block in Guangzhou, as the research subject. It first introduces the current situation of historical block protection and renewal in China, emphasizing the importance and urgency of protecting and renewing these easily overlooked non-protected areas against the backdrop of rapid urban development. Through a detailed survey of Haopan Street and its surrounding areas, including spatial texture, functional business, land use, road pattern, and architectural style, combined with domestic and international urban renewal theories, a series of targeted renewal strategies are proposed. The research indicates that the renewal of Haopan Street should adopt a gradual renewal approach, which emphasizes gradually promoting the renewal of the area without disrupting the existing community structure, reducing the contradictions caused by complex property rights. The renewal strategies cover multiple aspects, including economic development, cultural protection, environmental improvement, policy support, and community participation. Specifically, for several street nodes of Haopan Street, the east and west entrances, and community parks, and other key areas, this paper designs detailed renovation plans aimed at revitalizing the commercial area, preserving historical features, enhancing cultural value, attracting tourist consumption, improving resident experience, gaining policy support, and promoting renewal and transformation. Based on field research of Haopan Street and analysis of successful domestic and international cases, this paper verifies the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed strategies. The research results show that gradual renewal can not only protect the historical and cultural heritage of Haopan Street but also enhance its commercial vitality and residential quality, providing a new approach to the sustainable development of a large number of non-protected historical areas in Guangzhou's old urban areas. In addition, this paper also discusses the challenges Haopan Street may face during the renovation process, such as funding shortages, insufficient resident participation, and inadequate policy support, and proposes corresponding solutions, which has positive reference value for improving the strategies for the renewal and transformation of historical blocks.