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Discussion on the Maintenance Path of Spatial Perception and Collective Memory in the Context of Community Renewal

Yifan Liu
Vol.1, No.6, pp.68-75, 2026 DOI: 10.62051/ajmse.v1n6.08 September 21, 2026
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Abstract: The focus of domestic urban construction has shifted to optimizing the spatial quality of existing urban areas. Urban construction no longer aims to create large new areas. The main goal of urban construction is to enhance the living quality of the existing spaces. As a result, the concept of renovating old communities has changed. The past community renovation work mainly dealt with basic hardware issues. Workers would repair community roads, replace old equipment, and clean the community environment. Now, community renovation work is not just about improving hardware facilities. Workers also optimize the living environment and protect the local cultural content of the community. The spatial form and community characteristics formed by long-term residents' living are valuable resources for community construction. Most of the old and elderly communities in China will adopt a unified renovation plan. The unified renovation plan can accelerate the construction progress. Workers can quickly improve community facilities and organize the overall environment of the community. The unified renovation method also has obvious disadvantages. The renovation work will destroy the long-term spatial layout and living scenarios formed by the community. Large-scale unified renovations will erase the unique characteristics of each community. The original living scenarios of the community continue to change. Residents' memories of the past of the community will gradually fade. The activity spaces of community neighbors are randomly modified. The emotional exchanges among residents decrease, and the sense of community belonging of residents continues to decline. Researchers conduct on-site visits and grassroots observations. The research results show that the renovation work of many elderly communities has problems of uneven development. The renovation progress of community hardware facilities is relatively fast. The progress of community cultural protection and cultural continuation work is relatively lagging. This study combines the theory of organic renewal and grassroots governance theory for analysis. The research is in line with the actual characteristics of the natural development and gradual change of old communities. The research has sorted out various problems existing in the community renovation process. The overall style of the community tends to be uniform, the daily life scenarios of residents become scattered, and residents lack channels for participation in community renovation are the main problems. The research retains the original spatial layout of the community, creates a living environment that meets the needs of residents, and builds a management model with multi-party participation. The research thus organizes a refined community renewal method. This renewal method can retain the unique cultural characteristics of the community and continue the cultural development of the community.
Keywords: Community Renewal, Spatial Awareness, Collective Memory, Living Space, Community Revitalization
APA Citation: Yifan Liu (2026). Discussion on the Maintenance Path of Spatial Perception and Collective Memory in the Context of Community Renewal. Academic Journal of Management Science and Engineering, 1(6), 68-75. https://doi.org/10.62051/ajmse.v1n6.08

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