We yearn for poetry and the distance, so we walk in the present, and try to get a glimpse of different landscapes in the bustling city, even though we are born and raised in the city, it is still difficult to depict every inch of Shanghai. The explosion of "City Walk" has made more people get out of their homes, sketch the vitality of spring in the retro streets, look for their own gifts in the unique shops, and find the "poetry and distance" in their hearts in the second-hand bookstores.
"City Walk" must be familiar to everyone, measuring the city's humanity with footsteps, touching the temperature of the city while walking, and re-understanding the stories and history hidden in time from reading buildings.
As this phenomenon heats up, the concept of city walking continues to evolve and develop, and the relationship between the city and the brand is re-established and deepened in the process of people's walking. Therefore, we specially invited Zhou Yan, a professional planner of Shanghai's urban historic building walk, to listen to her insights and interpretations.
Zhou Yan
Professional planning of Shanghai urban historical building walking
Graduated from La Sorbonne, Sorbonne University, Paris, France, with a master's degree in urban planning and geography and economics
Architect, 104Art Voie Design Practice Studio
He has worked as a consultant for the renovation department of SIEMP, a real estate and economic cooperation company of the City of Paris, and an architect for Sino-French planning cooperation projects in several firms
"Strictly speaking, what we've done goes beyond the traditional concept of a 'city walk'. Our focus is on the role of the City Reading campaign in the brand's operations and its role. We're looking at how to connect and activate relationships with organizations like these historic buildings, established brands, and even emerging brands. It allows the outside world to understand the brand more deeply by understanding the historical background of the neighborhood. Zhou Yan said.
01 The Meaning of Walking: Knowing and Re-knowing
Shanghai, the "magic capital" that has become a world-class metropolis in the shortest possible time, has attracted extensive attention and research at home and abroad due to its rich culture and history, and many professional scholars have regarded it as an urban miracle for in-depth research.
Many people claim to know Shanghai inside and out, but in fact many locals are still amazed by the many facets of Shanghai as they take part in the city walk. As the walking planner of the city's historic buildings, Zhou Yan's in-depth understanding of each neighborhood is extraordinary, but even so, every time he leads people on a tour, he can still discover the new face of the city and continue to appreciate the diverse charm of Shanghai.
In Zhou Yan's view, this is precisely what makes a city special: "Many overseas tourists may read a lot of graphic and video materials to build their own understanding of Shanghai before they come to Shanghai, and then when they actually set foot on this land, they will find that there are elements that they are familiar with, but also completely different novelties, and this depth and breadth is the embodiment of Shanghai's extraordinary." ”
In the process of walking, you can prove your impression and cognition of the city, and build your own "re-understanding" of it. At the same time, this kind of walking builds a new offline social mode and alleviates the disconnection of social relations.
02 Reading the brand from walking, a witness to the changes of the times and social development
With the increasing maturity of the business model of city walking, walking is not only a humanistic experience, but also an important way for brand display and expansion. Walking through the streets of the city, we will find that many well-known brands do not appear in a vacuum, they all contain a little-known story behind them, which is the epitome of the changing times and social development.
The in-depth excavation and interpretation of the brand is essentially the interpretation and respect of history. The major brands located between the cities are not only commercial symbols and city windows, but also recorders of the times and society, which carry the past and indicate the direction of the future.
In the process of excavating brands, Zhou Yan gradually realized: "The birth and existence of each brand has its own unique value and significance. They are not only the products of business, but also the embodiment of cultural inheritance and innovation. Therefore, by maintaining a more rigorous attitude and exploring the historical context behind the brand from a rational perspective, we can better understand the unique value of each brand.
"In order to better present a comprehensive and authentic Shanghai, we need to skillfully blend these traces of history with modern elements. We can find those historical buildings hidden in the corners of the city in the high-rise buildings, and feel the vicissitudes and heaviness they convey, and we can also find those brands that carry traditional culture and unique styles in the modern commercial blocks, and feel the innovation and vitality they convey. ”
03 A win-win situation between the brand and the city A re-experience standing on the historical height
LV created a limited-time space of "Nonghao, Shanghai" on the banks of Suzhou Creek, and Heytea joined hands with "Flowers" to create "Heytea Zhizhen Teahouse" on the Yellow River Road. Why did the brand choose to cooperate with Shanghai's characteristic architecture? Behind the seemingly casual circulation design is the brand's in-depth exploration of the city's profound historical heritage and rich cultural core. By skillfully combining traditional elements with modern innovations, these campaigns not only provide a new perspective to reinterpret and understand the city, but also invisibly pass on the city's cultural DNA.
As a veteran architect, Zhou Yan has a deep understanding of Shanghai's historic buildings and the culture behind them, and when talking about the increasing number of brands collaborating with traditional architecture, she shared: "In the past, people may have pursued modern sound and light installations too much to attract attention, but neglected the cultural assets contained in the city itself. However, now that we are standing at the height of history and re-experiencing the strong emotions of the past, with the improvement of people's cultural awareness, more and more brands have begun to pay attention to urban culture, integrate it into brand activities, and inject new vitality and elements into the city.
In the past, more than ten or even a hundred years ago, we showed the image of Shanghai Tower, but now we may show more high-rise buildings like the Oriental Pearl. So, can we merge the two to present a more comprehensive and authentic Shanghai?
This kind of respect and inheritance of urban culture is not only a respect for history, but also an expectation for the future. Through these brand activities, we were able to re-examine and experience the cultural charm of the city of Shanghai, and at the same time injected new impetus into the sustainable development of the city. This kind of brand activity with culture as a link not only helps to enhance the image and value of the brand, but also promotes the dissemination and exchange of urban culture, effectively promotes the steady development of the urban economy, and realizes the win-win situation between the brand and the city. ”
epilogue
The explosion of "City Walk" is not accidental, as it cleverly connects the relationship between people, people and brands, and people and the city, accurately meeting people's needs for a better life, not only reconstructing the way consumers and urban space are reached, but also providing a new and broader way for brand display and interpretation.
For the city, this kind of walking mode that integrates multiple elements such as users, urban commerce, and humanistic connotation can effectively stimulate the potential of the city's leisure resources, promote the sustainable development of the economy, and enhance people's understanding and attention to the city.
For the brand, it has developed the narrative expression of the brand, enriched the thickness of the brand, and injected fresh elements into the marketing strategy. Especially in the current situation of offline store operation, this method provides an effective platform for brands to attract consumers to interact offline, and help revitalize and optimize offline resources.
"City Walk", as a unique business model, pushes the integration of the brand and the city to a new level. The brand and the city grow together through the bridge of "City Walk". The brand is deeply integrated into the cultural context of the city, and the city is given a new engine to drive its own development. Citizens and tourists enjoy a new consumption experience here. In the future, with the continuous maturity and optimization of the "City Walk" model, the connection between the brand and the city will be closer, and the space for common growth will be broader.