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In recent years, issues about preservation and reuse of “historical buildings” and “unused space” have received much attention. Preservation of cultural heritage has been gradually extended from preservation of single historical buildings to preservation of the entire district. However, due to complex problems involved and a lack of mechanisms for subsequent development, many historical districts become deserted again after their development projects ended. Compared to preservation and maintenance of hardware facilities, preservation of the original lifestyles of local people and management of software facilities in historical districts are of higher importance. In Tai-ping Historic Street, “arcades” are closely connected to the lifestyles of local people and reflect unique characteristics of the local culture. Arcades are of considerable importance in this historical district. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of “arcades” on regeneration of historical districts based from the viewpoints of “publicness” and local people’s needs in daily life.
Based on “naturalistic observation” and “semi-structured interview” methods, this study collected data about usage behavior in natural situations to investigate the current use of arcades in Tai-ping Historic Street. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect perceptions about public space and arcade from people of different statuses. The data were analyzed to find the spatial characteristics of arcades in Tai-ping Historic Street and their impact on the preservation of this historical district. The research procedure involved three major steps: (1) conduct a survey on the physical space of “arcades” in Tai-ping Historic Street to build the basic data of the environment; (2) conduct interviews with local people to collect perceptions about “arcades”, usage experiences, and spatial characteristics of arcades in their daily use; (3) collect problems about “public spaces” and “arcades” in Tai-ping Historic Street from related projects.
Results indicated that the “arcades” in Tai-ping Historic Street have the functions of sustaining cultures, shaping a sense of localness, retaining local memories, and providing a sense of belonging. However, in terms of use and maintenance of arcades, local cultures and community are lagging behind, thus hindering the development of “publicness” of arcades and causing problems about privatization and commercialization of public spaces. Although these problems can be solved through enforcement of regulations, the original look of these public spaces may be lost and public exchange may occur. Hence, the arcade use problems in Tai-ping Historic Street cannot be improved simply through enforcement of regulations. The early concept of local community should be reverted so that the old lifestyle and the collective memory of the community can be retained. By this means, preservation, regeneration, and continuous development of historical districts can really be achieved.
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