Research on the governance practice of heritage area in China and Italy: reflections on spatial equity

This paper examines the governance logic and issues of equity in heritage governance through comparison discussion of practice in China and Italy. It proposes a “Heritage-Tourism-Commerce (HTC)” structural framework to analyse how spatial strategies influence spatial equity, including social participation and interest distribution. The study reveals that the Chinese case emphasises government-led initiatives and brand integration, achieving rapid visual renewal but often leading to resident relocation and the exclusion of small businesses. Italy, on the other hand, adopts an embedded approach, emphasising community collaboration and gradual renewal, balancing economic development with social inclusion. The article draws three practical implications: establishing a multi-stakeholder collaborative governance mechanism, developing localised assessment tools, and promoting a “micro-renewal + community co-construction” practice pathway. The study underlies that heritage area renewal is not merely about spatial restructuring but also concerns social equity and institutional adaptability.

本研究通过对比中意两国的遗产治理实践，探讨遗产治理中的治理逻辑与公平性议题。本研究提出‘遗产-旅游-商业（Heritage-Tourism-Commerce，HTC）’三维结构框架，用以分析空间策略如何影响空间公平性，涵盖社会参与与利益分配两大维度。研究发现，中国案例侧重政府主导的发展举措与品牌整合，虽实现了快速的视觉风貌更新，但往往伴随居民搬迁与小微企业被排斥的问题。反观意大利，则采用嵌入式发展路径，强调社区协作与渐进式更新，兼顾经济发展与社会包容。本研究提出三项实践启示：一是构建多利益相关方协同治理机制，二是开发本土化评估工具，三是推广‘微更新+社区共建’的实践路径。本研究强调，遗产街区更新绝非仅涉及空间结构重构，更关乎社会公平与制度适配性。