Abstract Ahmedabad, a city that is layered with centuries of traditional knowledge systems, showcases a unique adaptation to socio-environmental and economic challenges. One such system is the Tanka, a traditional , low-tech underground rainwater harvesting structure that is typically lined with lime and embedded beneath domestic courtyards in the historic city. These structures, maintained through ritualistic cleaning and seasonal preparation, reflect a sustainable legacy of self-reliant water management. In this paper the potential of reviving Tanka as a decentralised water infrastructure for climate-resilient urban management is investigated. In this study, climate resilience refers to a city’s ability to anticipate, absorb, adapt to, and recover from climate-driven extremes particularly water scarcity, heatwaves, and heavy rainfall. Tanka systems contribute to resilience by enabling decentralised water storage, reducing pressure on centralised infrastructure, enhancing microclimate regulation, and serving as emergency reserves. Focusing on the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ahmedabad, where nearly 10,000 Tanka are believed to exist, the study examines resident’s perceptions and institutional challenges in integrating privately owned Tanka for broader public utility. Drawing from qualitative methodologies, the research employs a triangulated approach: in-depth interviews with 25 residents of historic houses, a critical review of urban water governance and municipal policy documents, and focused group discussions (FGDs) involving both community members and domain experts. The findings highlight a promising 90% willingness among residents to reintegrate Tanka water into the urban system. However, the current top-down governance framework dominated by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) lacks mechanisms for incentivising citizen participation and heritage-based water reuse. This study advocates for a co-governance model that combines state capacity with citizen agency to address urban water stress while reinforcing heritage conservation. Furthermore, it proposes a scalable planning framework rooted in traditional practices, adaptable to other Indian cities and new settlements. Repositioning Tanka within a broader discourse of sustainable development, the paper suggests that reviving such vernacular systems offers a low-carbon, culturally embedded solution for managing urban resilience in the Anthropocene.

Abstract This study examines passive cooling low-tech vernacular architectural interventions for climate adaptation in indoor environments through an experimental case study in Egypt. Focusing on traditional methods and techniques that use natural and affordable materials, it analyses how these approaches enhance thermal comfort and sustainability in the built environment, particularly for vulnerable communities. An urban living lab methodology, combined with onsite monitoring, was employed to evaluate the efficiency of the low-tech adaptation methods. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of natural materials and simple technological solutions in improving thermal comfort and supporting climate adaptation. The study highlights the potential of vernacular knowledge to inform modern sustainable building practices. Through this experimental, hands-on approach, it showcases the value of traditional, low-tech architectural methods in creating resilient and adaptable environments, offering insights into sustainable and affordable climate adaptation strategies that reduce indoor temperatures and generate economic savings.

provides this kind of information.Yangshi Lei, the notes and drawings of the renowned Lei family whose members were in charge of rebuilding at the Forbidden City

Abstract In 2014, the discovery of Sacred Hill relics in the Kowloon City district during the construction of the railway station initiated a fierce debate regarding site conservation, urban redevelopment, and heritage management in Hong Kong’s society. The name ‘Sacred Hill’ gradually transformed from a longstanding informal term for that area into an official title for the heritage site. Drawing on recent scholarship concerning the relationship between heritage-making and the construction of scale, this article provides a case study to show how scale is applied as a strategic method to demarcate, extend, and challenge the temporal and spatial boundaries of a heritage site. This method allows stakeholders to borrow power from different contexts to reinforce the authenticity of their narrative. While the government, developers and cultural institutes use Sacred Hill to legitimise the narrative of district redevelopment, national history, and patriotic education by designating the scalar dimension, the community also employs values from international and national scales to develop local identities and resist urban renewal. The case shows that heritage-making is a scaling process for reworking boundaries and implications.

This study presents the development and psychometric validation of an urban heritage sociocultural impact assessment (UHSCIA) scale to evaluate the impact of urban development projects on the sociocultural fabric of historic urban precincts. The scale was designed to facilitate a heritage-led approach to urban development, ensuring the preservation and enhancement of urban heritage assets. The study adopts a mixed-method grounded theory to prepare the item pool and construct a framework. The psychometric properties of the scale were rigorously examined through confirmatory factor analysis. The results demonstrate the scale’s reliability and validity, affirming its potential as a valuable tool for decision-makers and practitioners involved in heritage-sensitive urban development. The study concludes by discussing the implications of the UHSCIA scale and its scope for future applications.

In this paper, we examine the heritagisation of a local spiritual ritual in Hong Kong as an example of expanding the field of built heritage studies to encompass relevant nonmaterial heritage. Herein, we present the case that a listed example of intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong, namely, the Pokfulam Fire Dragon Dance, is an integral part of one of the few remaining villages in urban Hong Kong. Specifically, we argue that Pokfulam village has been protected from demolition in part as a result of the work that has gone into recognising and promoting the heritage significance of the dance. Through an in-depth study using a mixture of historical and qualitative methods, including participant observation and key informant interviews, the paper presents an unusual example of the blurring of tangible and intangible heritage. Building on recent work in heritage studies that challenges established dichotomies, we show how these categories, which have separate mechanisms and policy frameworks, are, in this case, mutually constituted. The paper also demonstrates how heritagisation is a dynamic and, at times, pragmatic reinterpretation of cultural meaning involving multiple intersecting conditions, resources and actions. These include the changing political context, opportunities for heritage recognition, and organisational and programming changes to expand the appeal of the event. This case study contributes to the interest in the dynamics of heritagisation processes, with a focus on contextualising the agency of local actors, with a variety of different outcomes.

No. 1262 Yan'an West Road and No. 60 Panyu Road in Shanghai were previously part of Columbia Circle, which began construction in 1924, and the base of the Shanghai Institute of Biological Products (SIBP) from 1951 to 2014. They have now been transformed through urban renewal into one of Shanghai's famous instagrammable spots: Vanke Columbia Circle Park. In the survey of this completed site, we find that spatial traces of collective living in the form of danwei since the SIBP era are almost invisible in the cultural landscape of this urban renewal site. We use oral history interviews with the staff of SIBP, field research and critical reading to argue that Vanke Columbia Circle Park provides a typical case to discuss the authenticity of narratives of ‘architectural history’ constructed through contemporary practices of urban heritage preservation and regeneration. This study seeks to reveal the memory of place in SIBP and to rethink the misuse or manipulation of ‘real history’ in urban heritage renewal in the context of individual micro-historical experiences.

Understanding the historical evolution of spatial layout and architectural styles in a historic area is imperative for its preservation and rejuvenation. However, conventional methods such as document collation and field surveys are time- and resource-intensive. This research focuses on the historic area of Dujiangyan city (Dujiangyan Old Town) and uses computer vision techniques to increase the efficiency and accuracy of architectural information capture. Semantic segmentation techniques are employed to derive building footprints from remote sensing satellite images captured from three points in time over a period of nearly five decades, facilitating the comparison of spatial patterns and the identification of different architectural styles in panoramic street views. The distribution of architectural styles is analysed from urban planning and architectural perspectives. The experimental findings illustrate well-preserved spatial patterns and discernible development strategies across various periods. Image-processing methods have emerged as effective tools for analysing urban spatial dynamics and identifying architectural styles, thereby yielding quantifiable data essential for obtaining a nuanced understanding of historic areas. These insights can contribute to planning, management, and preservation efforts aimed at historic areas.

This paper traces the continuity and changes of the little-known Lantau Mountain Camp, a century-old hill station in Hong Kong, with respect to local, regional and global vicissitudes, from its missionary origins, to its memorable tradition as an international summer camp to its growing reputation as a popular scenic landscape. The author discusses how and why this camp was established, its representation in Hong Kong and its transition from a missionary retreat and closely bonded community to a fraternity for rustic, spartan living, with, in recent years, a focus on conservation of the natural environment and cultural landscape. The dynamics of the heritagisation process of the camp involving different stakeholders with different goals and motives are reviewed.