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Regeneration project stays true to road’s roots
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THE regeneration of Wukang Road won a state-level award for excellence in urban planning and it was named a “national historical and cultural street.”
The project’s chief designer, Tongji University professor Sha Yongjie, said the idea of not making wholesale changes to a neighborhood was a new urban planning concept in China.
The project kicked off in 2007 and was completed in 2010. It was regarded as the city’s first attempt to revitalize a historical street.
The project resulted from the city’s groundbreaking 2005 plan to establish 12 historical areas and 144 historical streets in downtown Shanghai. The 144 streets include 64 that will never be widened in order to preserve their original appearance and the old buildings flanking the roads. As one of the 64 streets selected, Wukang Road was the first to be revamped because it was a straight-forward residential street.
When Sha first took the job he found many eyesores like electric wires, dustbins, milk boxes on walls, roadside shops and signage that were not being managed properly by the local urban planning bureau that commissioned the project.
“These elements detract from the street’s appearance,” Sha said. “So the project wasn’t just a matter of traditional urban planning, but also a matter of refined city management.”
Sha had to coordinate with more than 10 municipal, district or community-level governments to improve numerous small details. This included adding roadside trees, burying wires, replacing dustbins, removing ugly shop signs and condom vending machines that were in front of historical buildings.
He was especially impressed with some community-level officials, who helped convince residents of the project’s benefits. The cooperation of residents helped the project go smoothly. In earlier regeneration projects, residents were often compelled to move out from old homes.
“We listened to their requirements and advice,” Sha said. “And with our professional guidance and a little more budget, the result was so much better and the residents were satisfied.”
“Take Lane No. 400 for example, we readjusted green plants, added chairs and lights in public space and repaired the drainage system. The residents were so happy that they then helped us persuade a neighbor to clean up his stuff that occupied some public space,” he added.
For a variety of designs, the chief designer organized a team of several young architectural faculties from Tongji University. Each scholar/architect was assigned to design a gate or two, or a section of surrounding walls. Sha supervised the designs to ensure they suited the character of Wukang Road.
In addition, Sha’s team also replaced the metal facades of some 1980s buildings with stone walls or bamboo fences to match the old villas.
After the project, Wukang Road’s popularity soared. Trendy restaurants and cafes popped up on both sides of the street. The project was praised as “achieving a great effect without costing a fortune compared with other renovation projects.”
It proved so successful that the Xuhui District government plans to apply “the Wukang Road model” to other historical streets. There are also plans to convert historical buildings into museums near Wukang Road.
“We made some small, proper changes and luckily few mistakes,” Sha said. “We did a small thing, but it was well-done.”
Jiao Tong University Professor Wang Lin, former vice director of the Architectural Preservation Committee of the Shanghai Architectural Society, said the project was well executed.
“Wukang Road looks more beautiful than ever, but people think nothing has been done here,” Wang said. “Then it seems as though something has been done to improve the atmosphere of the road, but without ‘upside down changes,’ which we historical preservationists fear most.”
“Famous Tongji University professor Luo Xiaowei had criticized the phenomenon of urban planners or architects who always wanted to ‘leave their mark’ on a project, just like the Monkey King’s habit of leaving his urine in the places he visits,” joked Tongji University professor Qian Zonghao, co-author of the book “Shanghai Wukang Road.”
“With a historical building or neighborhood, all you have to do is fully understand it and then carefully restore it,” Qian said. “No marks, that’s all.”
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