This paper focuses on urban regeneration practices in central urban areas, aiming to find key points for reshaping the publicness of urban spaces by exploring the morphological features of public spaces and the spatial distribution patterns of public activities. Now that China’s urbanization process has stabilized, large-scale regeneration is no longer applicable to the current urban environment, and urban morphology has proved to be significantly useful in understanding and designing the built environment. However, current research lacks quantitative studies on morphology and public activities, and thus is hardly instructive for the cognition and design of spatial morphology in specific locations. Therefore, this paper attempts to subdivide spatial morphology at the level of “micro-renewal” or “micro-renovation” in order to explore the impact of spatial morphology on public participation in cities. The site chosen for this study is Xinjiekou in Nanjing. As a key area of two important arteries in the center of Nanjing, Xinjiekou has been a gathering place for a variety of commercial forms, such as finance, retail department stores, restaurants, and entertainment, and has been the commercial and financial center of Nanjing since the 1940s. In an on-site observation of urban development and pedestrian flow in the Xinjiekou area, the study found that despite its status as the area with the highest degree of spatial accessibility and public participation, its public space has gradually lost its attractiveness to residents, who lack a sense of participation and place identity. Based on the study of urban public spaces, both accessibility and choice play an important role in increasing public participation. Therefore, this study combined observation and quantitative analysis of Space Syntax to obtain the distribution of accessibility, choice, and public activity. Based on the results of the analysis, this research uses GWR as the statistical method to clarify the correlation between different variables. The final conclusion is that when the space type is a path with high choice value and the paths are connected, the enhancement of accessibility and choice plays an important role in promoting public participation. This statistically based empirical study of testable correlations is very helpful for the perception of location-specific spaces with high levels of interpretability and confidence. Thus, it further guides the design and has a high reference value for future spatial planning.

This study discusses the application of AI technology in the design of traditional Chinese-style architecture, aiming to enhance AI’s matching accuracy and sustainability. Currently, there are limitations in AI technology in generating details of traditional Chinese-style architecture, so this study proposes a method of fine-tuning AI pre-training models, by extracting samples of traditional architectural style elements, to enhance the trajectory and output accuracy of AI generation. The research method includes constructing AI pre-training models, using DreamBooth and ControlNet tools for personalized training and perspective control. Through experimental verification, this study found that pre-trained models can effectively enhance the accuracy and controllability of AI in the preliminary design of architecture. At the same time, the application of ControlNet technology has significantly improved the accuracy and realism of architectural rendering. The value of this study lies in proposing a new method that combines AI technology with the process of traditional Chinese architectural design, which can help architects better protect and inherit the culture of traditional Chinese architecture. Through this method, it can reduce the difficulty of learning traditional Chinese architectural design, optimize the design process, enhance design efficiency, and provide strong support for the sustainable development of traditional Chinese architecture.

With the processes of urbanization and population migration in China, local traditional folk beliefs are facing a crisis of inheritance, including the loss of believers and the decline of religious buildings. However, in the southeastern coastal areas of China, with the development of society and the advancement of science and technology, folk beliefs have shown a trend of modernization, gained widespread attention from young people, and shown a good trend of inheritance. This study focuses on the modernization of folk beliefs in the southeastern coastal areas of China, exploring how folk beliefs are adapted to contemporary life and the key role of information technology in the protection of religious buildings. The study found that the modernization of folk beliefs in China’s southeastern coastal areas is mainly reflected in the portrayal of gods in cartoonish images, the popularity of music, and the modernization of communication methods. By analyzing the modernization process of folk beliefs in the southeastern coastal areas of China, this study reveals the adaptation and development of folk beliefs in modern society. Based on the reality of contemporary Chinese society, this study also explores the future modernization trend of folk beliefs and discusses the possibilities and potential risks of the application of digital technology in folk belief inheritance.

In Southwest China, traditional wooden buildings in historic villages commonly feature natural vegetation roofing materials, such as thatch or bamboo shingles, which are highly susceptible to fire. Existing research has primarily focused on traditional timber-frame buildings with tiled roofs, while limited attention has been given to those with natural vegetation roofs. This study, taking Wengding village in Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, as an exemplary case, conducts a fire risk assessment and explores fire prevention strategies for buildings with bamboo-wood frames and natural vegetation roofs on the basis of Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS): the application of fire-retardant coatings, the use of synthetic thatched roofing materials, and a combination of both. The results indicate that the strategy employing synthetic thatched roofing materials offers the best fire resistance performance. By integrating traditional fire prevention knowledge with modern technologies, this study provides a scientifically grounded reference for mitigating fire risks in historic buildings with natural vegetation roofs in China’s ethnic minority regions, aiming to enhance fire safety while preserving architectural authenticity.

This paper examines the construction of the National Goods Bank in Nanjing as a case study to investigate the localization of modern architecture in China during the 1930s. Set against the backdrop of Nanjing’s capital construction period (1927–1937), it explores how professional architects utilized New-national architecture to effectively disseminate modern architectural principles while navigating the tensions between modernity and national identity. The study first reviews the historical context of the building’s design and construction, focusing on architect Xi Fuquan, a Chinese architect educated in the West, whose modernist orientation influenced the project. It then analyzes the building’s spatial organization, decorative elements, and construction methods. The findings indicate that the National Goods Bank represents a “professional-led” pragmatic modernism, offering a distinct counter-narrative to the state-led formalist Chinese Revival architecture. This case study contributes to a broader understanding of Chinese architectural modernity by illustrating how modern architecture was disseminated and localized through adaptive, professional-led practices in the early twentieth century.