There are concerts in the bakery, "Bundi" in the bus live house, and French and Italian food...... On social platforms, search for "Suzhou check-in place", and Shiquan Street is impressive.
Since the opening of the street on June 29, Shiquan Street has been full for a month, and the original slogan of "China has a Shiquan Street" has also been more concretely expressed. Whether it is good or bad, or affirmative or questioning, thousands of voices gather here, arching Shiquan Street to the throne of traffic.
The integration of the old and the tide, the choice of keeping and progressing, and the deep link between the past and the future...... In the "twin" proposition of ancient city protection and urban renewal, Suzhou uses "embroidery kung fu" to weave, repair and renew, showing off the wisdom of "people-oriented".
The scenery should be long-sighted. Perhaps Shiquan Street is really worthy of the future of "China has a Shiquan Street".
Show off the blend of old and trendy
Redefine the scale of time
In the past, urban renewal often simply distinguished the "new" and the "old" by the boundaries of time. After the "new" elements are raised, the "old" elements are forced to withdraw, the city gradually "loses its memory", and the city's identity and recognizability are constantly lost.
Today's Shiquan Street shows off the blend of the old and the new, the old and the trendy.
Since the Southern Song Dynasty, the double chessboard pattern of "parallel water and land, adjacent rivers and streets" has been retained, and today thousands of years later, it is still the clearest appearance of Shiquan Street; Wandering around the neighborhood and chatting in the shade is still the most authentic way of life of the old neighbors......
Here, people and the city live in harmony. There is a concert in the bakery, a "jump" on the bus, a coffee shop owner with a different style, and a sense of city in the design of the store sign......
But if you look closely, it's very different.
The ancient bridge and ancient trees are different, and it is a new audio-visual enjoyment. 8 stone bridges, through the creation of spatial symbols, let the bridge and the street junction grow green, become "unbounded garden, diffuse life block", the story of the ancient bridge missed in those years will now be engraved into the mind; The 300-year-old tree next to the Nanlin Hotel will probably never be lonely again, because there are more young people who stop for it because of the famous brand.
The feeling of space is different, it is a new symbol. Walking on the quaint and elegant sidewalk, you can see a map of Shiquan Street carved on the floor tiles. At the crossroads, it has been transformed into a pink trail, labeled with the labels of "love is perfect, timeless" and "love is set in Suzhou, accompanied by perfection...... At first glance, Shiquan Street is even more trendy; Looking closely, behind each tide, there is a respect for the "old", representing the continuation of time, and it has not become a history that has been cut off.
The format of eating, drinking and playing is different, and it is a new consumption scenario. went to the old record studio and wantonly looked for the lost youth; Queue up to buy milk tea, and also cool off on the beach chairs on the side of the road. Food, coffee, art, culture and other diversified formats make Shiquan Street compatible with the multiple identities of a thousand-year-old city, urban community, and creative district, where "old" and "trendy" redefine the scale of time.
Deduce the choice between keeping and advancing
Add another footnote to "people-oriented".
But behind the flow, it is not only the significance of transforming the old and new borders, but also the close integration of the urban fabric with the needs of people.
Even before the renovation, the local authorities collected more than 2,000 suggestions from residents and adopted more than 300 of them.
People-oriented, the planning team gave up the previous "shock" therapy of large-scale demolition and construction, but "made a dojo in a snail shell": the construction of an underground micro comprehensive pipe gallery, without manhole covers on the ground, to avoid repeated excavation of the road; Restore the bluestone slab rainwater culvert pavement to show the traditional texture of the streets and alleys; Use vacated land to create public space, and retain residents with "small-scale, gradual" transformation. Even the country's first three-dimensional garage for electric bicycles is also arranged!
There are countless such "perseverance and radicalism", and it is precisely because of all the discussions that the store owners spontaneously design creative store signs and organize offline activities...... When the historical style and contemporary life are superimposed, and a consensus is formed among many parties, Shiquan Street will grow more possibilities in self-renewal.
Chen Xiaobao, a "new Suzhou native" who lives in Huizhu Lane on Shiquan Street, is a "fan of the ancient city". On weekdays, I like to walk the streets and alleys and share the beautiful scenery of the ancient city online. Now, he almost goes to Shiquan Street every other day to take a walk and shoot videos to explore the beauty of Shiquan Street.
After the renovation of Shiquan Street, the sidewalk was widened by 6 to 7 meters from the original 1 meter, and Chen Xiaobao said frankly that the safety was greatly enhanced, "The original trail was narrow and easy to collide with vehicles. ”
Photo/Shiquan Street resident Chen Xiaobao's family went out for a walk
The owner of a custom suit shop that has been in business for 27 years now relishes the flow of people on Shiquan Street every day. "There are also guests from Inner Mongolia who have come from afar. When someone comes, the shop on this street can be vibrant! ”
But there is always an AB side to everything, and there are many doubts on the Internet. "After the renovation, Shiquan Street is not good-looking, and it doesn't have the same taste as before" and "the sidewalks have become wider, and motor vehicles are not convenient at all......
But fortunately, Shiquan Street fully understands that "the city is a container for people". The format of "Internet celebrity" is determined by the market. The 2.0 version of Shiquan Street is determined by "people"! In other words, your opinion may come to life one day.
Li Xiaohui, chief planner of the Urban Renewal Research Branch of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, said that the current Shiquan Street is a multi-dimensional block, and local life, cultural tourism, and commercial innovation are colliding with new sparks on this street, and the future Shiquan Street will be a collection of multiple voices.
Photo/China Academy of Urban Planning and Design
Chief Planner of Urban Renewal Research Branch
Li Xiaohui
Open a link between the past and the future
Shiquan Street is worthy of the word "China".
Shiquan Street was originally known as "Shiquan Street", which originated from the ten ancient wells that used to exist on both sides of the street. Later, because Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty was stationed nearby during his southern tour, because the emperor called himself Shiquan Old Man, he renamed "Shiquan Street" as "Shiquan Street".
Shiquan Street was also a gathering place for foreign-related hotels in Suzhou, where hotels such as Nanlin, Nanyuan, and Suzhou are located, which shows the depth of historical heritage.
If the renovation of Shiquan Street is examined in the greater time and space of the protection of the ancient city, it undoubtedly reflects the current bid farewell to growth dependence, reshaping the urban fabric, and "people-oriented" spatial reconstruction and community activation.
For example, "pedestrianization and light disturbance" are the key words of the renovation of Shiquan Street, and there are actually good intentions behind it.
"Pedestrianization is the future traffic trend of the ancient city, whether it is the Champs-Elysées Avenue in Paris, France, or the Chongwenmennei Street in Beijing, pedestrian walkways play an important role in it." Li Xiaohui said.
As one of the first batch of national historical and cultural cities, Suzhou has always followed the concept of integrated development of industry, city and people in the development process, based on the unique natural environment of Jiangnan water towns, and inherited the historical context of Jiangnan culture, and gradually formed a "multi-center, group-type, networked" urban form with Suzhou characteristics and balanced spatial distribution, which provides a model and demonstration for depicting a Chinese-style modern urban picture.
From this point of view, as one of the most representative characteristic blocks of the ancient city and a classic model of the development of the ancient city, Shiquan Street must undoubtedly shoulder the mission of "China's Shiquan Street" in order to link the past and the future!