A study on the memory value of industrial heritage based on space narrative - a case of urban renewal in Shanghai

Abstract

When the process of urban renewal is accelerating, the issue of preservation and utilization of cultural heritage in cities, particularly, the preservation and adaptive reuse of industrial heritage has sparked enthusiastic discussions in academia. Industrial heritage is the physical carrier symbolizing industrial civilization, and its physical presence is often the focus of people’s attention. The underlined historical, scientific, and artistic values, especially the memory and emotional values, namely its intangible value as the place spirit of industrial heritage, are often not given enough attention. However, these values are becoming increasingly important in shaping urban culture. Taking the preservation and adaptive reuse of industrial heritage in Shanghai in recent years as an example, this paper explores taking the intangible memory value of industrial sites as a narrative text to construct a narrative space for interpreting the memory and emotion of urban culture and to inherit industrial culture and place spirit. The adaptive reuse of industrial heritage will perpetuate and create new memory values through space narrative, preserve the city’s historical features, and shape the urban culture.