Urban Form and Social Vulnerability in Shanghai: A Comparative Study of Hongkou District Before and After the 1990s Urban Renewal

Abstract

Waves of urbanization have always played a significant role in reshaping the morphology of cities and altering livelihood patterns. Changes in street intersections and block configurations lead to modifications in how cities function, how people experience space, and how residents earn a living. However, these structural changes—mainly when triggered by rapid development pressure—often exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and generate unresolved spatial tensions between pre-existing neighborhood features and new forms of development. Given the urbanization rate experienced by China in the last three decades, this research explores these spatial tensions in Shanghai with a specific focus on the shifts in type and spatial distribution of commercial units throughout the development of Hongkou district. This project employs two novel datasets: the 1937 map of business licenses and the 2018 crowdsourced Points of Interest (POI) data from “Gaode Maps.” Through a comparative analysis of these datasets, the research engages with the recent attempt of the city of Shanghai to repurpose the outdated commercial typologies built in the early 1990s during the government-led urban renewal. More specifically, this study portrays the morphological transitions of Hongkou district through the lens of commercial activities and sheds light on the relationship between people’s livelihoods, street commerce, and urban form.