Translating Genius Loci: Place-Based Narrative Strategies in Non-Standard Commercial Urban Regeneration

Abstract

Non-standard commercial space has emerged as a defining typology of urban regeneration in China, yet its rapid proliferation has exposed a persistent problem: the forms of place are appropriated as imagery without genuine engagement with the historical and social structures that produced them. This study develops a cross-scale analytical framework grounded in Norberg-Schulz’s theory of genius loci and Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space, examining three projects:"Route 0" in Xiangshan, Ningbo; "Zhongdamen Urban Hill" in Guangzhou; and "Jin Yi · Park" in Tianjin. Spatial morphological analysis and phenomenological interpretation are applied to trace the mechanisms through which place identity is reconstructed or compromised at the macro-territorial, meso- and micro-morphological, and socio-relational scales. The analysis yields three principal findings: genius loci reconstruction operates through distinct translational mechanisms at each scale; each mechanism carries characteristic risks when design engages with the surface forms of a site rather than its underlying structural logic; and the long-term sustainability of place identity depends on maintaining a dynamic equilibrium between cultural authenticity and commercial viability. These findings are synthesized into an integrated cross-scale generative framework that bridges phenomenological and socio-spatial approaches to place, offering both a critical vocabulary and a practical basis for evaluating and guiding place-based design in non-standard commercial regeneration.