Restoration and integration of the Huang Family Garden within the contemporary urban fabric of Shanghai

Abstract

<abstract> <p>In the backdrop of Shanghai's century-long urbanization and modernization, traditional private gardens have undergone a profound transformation influenced by Western lifestyles, concepts, and garden characteristics. This transformation, marked by an East-meets-West fusion, deviates from the conventions of traditional gardens. In this study, we delved into the historical evolution of these private gardens into urban parks against the canvas of evolving urban life and point out that the construction of the city-park interaction mechanism hinges on how to consolidate transformation motives and empower urban space. Focusing on the case study of the Huang Family Garden owned by the Qing Gang tycoon Gold Wing and employing a spatial culture research perspective, we illuminated how the metamorphosis of a private garden into an urban park catalyzed the development of an urban area and scrutinized the spatial transformation of the Huang Family Garden amid Shanghai's urban modernization. Furthermore, our results revealed the inherent public nature of the Huang Family Garden's evolving garden space, along with the continuous manifestation and strengthening of this characteristic through successive urban renovations. The results emphasized the role of gardens in urban resilience and sustainability, highlighting the contribution of garden spaces as public domains. The features exhibited during the transformation of private gardens into urban parks create conditions for enhancing urban resilience, while providing insights into the significance of understanding garden traits in the evolution of cities.</p> </abstract>