During the class, I was impressed by the example of Kotaged, Indonesia, which introduced an idea

of a “heritage city”. It is said that the preservation of urban heritage might be a joint effort
between the government and the community. In this case, I remember the other example, West
Street, Quanzhou. The "Office of the West Street Preservation and Construction Command" even
sent the questionnaire to each resident before fixing up the old blocks. In addition to the usual
questions such as "your address", and "date of construction, the questions also included "do you
wish to move? ", "Which community organization or social group do you or your family members
belong to?” From the survey questionnaires, it was found that between 70% and 80% of the
residents have a strong attachment to West Street and are willing to cooperate with the
Government's redevelopment plan to preserve and develop the community's precious historical
environment despite their dissatisfaction with the current living conditions. This coincides with the
lecture that the neighborhood has a special ability to recognize heritage assets that are important to
its history, culture, and identity as well as strategies for preserving such assets.
In addition, for the example of Indonesia, it also conveys the concept that heritage city
conservation aims to understand and apply knowledge, values, and spirit from the past for future
growth rather than freezing people's lives and cultures. The professor said that it is not just
protection, but also development and utilization, and urban heritage is to improve people’s
welfare. Therefore, it is difficult to keep the balance between protection and utilization. I began to
wonder whether it is the 'conservation of the community that is important or the 'conservation of
the people who live there that is important. Is it important to preserve the existing physical
environment of a developing historic urban neighborhood, or is it important to maintain the
continuity of the neighborhood’s social life?
In my opinion, in order to propose a strategy for an area undergoing transformation to
achieve a balance between the traditional and the contemporary, it is important to note that the
self-build of individual households will continue as the basis for this approach to the area's
development. The community must understand that they are the true owners of legacy, and that
understanding may inspire them to protect what they deem to be culturally meaningful. In this
case, conservation becomes a question of how to encourage the current residents to care about the
historical style and environment. Planning should not only include a formal design but should also
include a public education aspect that encourages people to take pride in the quality of the city's
history.