BALANCED RENEWAL STRATEGY FOR A PARADOXICAL HISTORY By Jinhui Huang
Zhongshan Road historic commercial district, the original old center (downtown) of Qingdao, had gone through recession in the last twenty years. Once known as the bustling Zhongshan Road market, Liyuan residences and German-style buildings hosting elder or low-income marginalized residents have been gradually forgotten by capitalists, the government, and the new immigrants. To avoid the tragedy of homogenizing the city and to celebrate the treasures of Qingdao, this thesis explores a new possibility of balanced renewal strategy for the Zhongshan Road neighborhood. It is not only a symbolic design tool to address the marginalized immigrants’ and older generations’ memories, but also an experimental apparatus to show the redevelopment possibilities of the Old Town bringing in tourists and citizens in other neighborhoods.