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Research title: CityWalk and Urban Micro-Regenerations in Contemporary China

Research question: How urban micro-regeneration drives CityWalk in contemporary China

This research will focus on an interdisciplinary investigation that aims to provide new theoretical perspectives and empirical analyses of CityWalk culture in contemporary China. Specifically, the research will analyse the key factors influencing the development of CityWalk through field research and interviews, and explore feasible paths to promote CityWalk culture in different urban contexts. This research will explore the unique characteristics of CityWalk culture, define its potential and role in contemporary China, and explore ways to drive CityWalk culture through urban micro-regeneration in contemporary China.

‘Walk wherever you want, go wherever you want’ CityWalk is a travel strategy that has emerged in the past two years, and is likewise the most popular term in China in 2023. According to RedNote (2023), there were more than 500,000 CityWalk-related news items in the first half of 2023, with searches increasing more than 30 times year-on-year. According to a survey by DT Finance (2023), more than 82% of young people in China are willing to try CityWalk, and as of today, there are more than 360,000 notes about CityWalk on RedNote, with more than 300 million plays on Shake Voice.

The rise of CityWalk has brought unprecedented social attention to many blocks. Since the CityWalk phenomenon spread rapidly in 2023, Shanghai's Wukang Lu neighbourhood has attracted more than 140 new businesses and is expected to become ‘China's new consumer billion-dollar neighbourhood’ by 2024 (Jiemian, 2023). The revival of the block through CityWalk has attracted a lot of attention from other cities in China, and many cities want to learn from CityWalk as a strategy for revitalising the block. However, not all cities have the appropriate historical deposits, so some cities have attempted to promote the development of CityWalk through the strategy of urban micro-regeneration, transforming ordinary urban spaces into cultural and tourism scenes with narrative and consumption potential.

However, the results of urban micro-regeneration in some areas have failed to attract more citizens to participate in CityWalk, and instead have been negatively evaluated by some local residents and foreign tourists (Zhejiang Luoshi, 2024). Similar cases can be found in Nanjing, Shenzhen, Chongqing and other cities, where the implementation of urban micro-regeneration has not been effective in enhancing the attractiveness of CityWalk, and even faced problems of spatial commercialisation and a single form of cultural expression.

Existing research focuses on the popularity of CityWalk in contemporary cities and its causes, and explores its potential for youth psychological healing and urban regeneration. However, the current practice of CityWalk culture is mainly concentrated in a few cities such as Shanghai and Hangzhou, and research on how to promote and develop CityWalk in other regions is still limited. It should be emphasised that CityWalk is, at its core, a cultural phenomenon with a high degree of freedom, the development of which relies on practical feedback and data collection. However, most of the current research remains at the level of theoretical discussions and analyses based on social media data, lacking systematic field research and empirical data support. The results of this research will not only help to fill the gaps in existing academic research, but also provide new theoretical perspectives and practical insights for urban planning, youth culture research and urban space experience design.

Supervisors

• Dr. Hocine Bougdah
• Dr. Jieling Xiao
• Dr. Federica Mirra