Rethinking Traditional Lilong Housing for Contemporary Neighborhood in Shanghai

Traditional residence in the Chinese megacity is a big issue for urban development in the 21st century. The conflict between the cultural significance and pressure of the city’s development requirement is the root of this issue, especially for a highly developed city like Shanghai. Shanghai lilong, as the dominant form of a residential house in the 20th century, was undergoing significant evolution and was continuously threatened by the social environment. This thesis rethinks the value of Shanghai lilong towards the contemporary urban context by examining the changes and threats from the 1860s to 1960s, from both physical and cultural perspectives. Design principals and conceptual models are proposed to explore a ‘new lilong,’ which will inherit the merits of the traditional lilong but, at the same time, incorporate the modern requirements. This thesis provides an alternative strategy on preserving traditional housing, as the Chinese heritage, by activating its cultural significance in the modern context.