An Integrated Morphological Approach to Urban Conservation and Management: The Case of Nanjing

Moving onto to conservation practice, combining the historico-geographical and the configurational approaches can generate a constructive negotiation between preserving historicity and enhancing sustainable use of urban spaces. The analytical method that combines the two morphological approaches has been applied to two historic areas—Hehuatang and Diaoyutai—in Old Chengnan district. It further elaborates how the evaluation of landscape units in terms of historicity and spatial potential could inform urban landscape management, especially the sharper identification of conservation priorities. A comparison will be made between the management proposal developed by the local planning authority and that suggested by the integrated approach. It is found that the integrated approach has the potential to provide sound reference for urban planners and designers to manage change in a small-scale and incremental way and contribute to a synergetic view between conservation and urban redevelopment.