Author(s)

Siqi Gao¹, Lu Han¹, Chunhui Li¹, Lizhi Zhao²

¹Architectural Design & Research Institute of Tsinghua University, Co., Ltd., Beijing, China.
²China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing, China.

With the rapid development of globalization and urbanization, the atmosphere of cultural life in the historical and cultural districts of the city has begun to change. The collective memory of the block is gradually missing, and the local crisis of homogenization appears. Therefore, the Beiyuanmen block was selected as a typical case, using spatial syntax and in-depth interviews to empirically study the collective memory of residents. It is found that the collective memory space of Beiyuanmen block has the following changing trends: the collective memory space structure level of the block continues as a whole, and the alley space that carries the residents’ unconscious habitual memory is facing varying degrees of destruction; the scope and intensity of collective memory space are consistent with the direction of urban development, and the overall collective memory center tends to shift westward; the elements of collective memory space have changed obviously, from being dominated by a single religious building function in the old period to a coexistence pattern of religious buildings and public facilities in the new period. Based on the above analysis, it is considered that the collective memory space in historical and cultural blocks is the result of the transformation of residents’ values and ethnic interaction.

Collective Memory, Space Syntax, Beiyuanmen Block, Space Evolution

Gao, S. , Han, L. , Li, C. and Zhao, L. (2021) Detecting the Evolution of Collective Memory Space Using a Space Syntax-Based Analysis Method in Beiyuanmen Historical and Cultural Block. Current Urban Studies, 9, 744-758. doi: 10.4236/cus.2021.94044.