RIOS Presents a Commercial Revitalization Framework for Urban Regeneration

Revitalizing China’s Cities: Sustainable Renewal Case Studies

After navigating complex phases of development challenges that range from unrestrained, large-scale demolitions to rapid construction, urban renewal is moving towards a new era of sustainable development. How will cultural relics be protected and positioned to give them new vitality? How can the commercial, cultural, and social values of existing assets be activated for the community? How will China look to carry out renovations of historic districts? These are critical topics in the larger discussion around China’s future cities.

Based on extensive experience from urban regeneration and adaptive reuse projects in North America, RIOS adopts an integrated design approach coupled with strategic operational and planning perspectives, to embrace top-down and bottom-up considerations and deliver innovative solutions for the future of growing cities.

Based on conversations with this typology’s leading real estate developers and clients, Shui On Group and Atlas Capital Group, our case studies confirm that the essence of urban renewal is the revival of community.

Following the global economic downturn, there was increasing emphasis placed on using design to stimulate the city’s vitality, retaining the site’s culture and history to foster economic development, and supporting and achieving low-carbon projects. 

This article highlights three urban renewal case studies including Shanghai Xintiandi, Los Angeles’ ROW DTLA, and San Diego’s The Campus at Horton, to describe ideas for urban renewal from multiple perspectives.

Commercial Revitalization

RIOS’ design philosophy is rooted in sustainability. We emphasize human-centered participation and create spaces that evoke wonder within the built environment. By prioritizing programming, functionality, and accessibility, our projects promote sustainability, providing reassurance to stakeholders about the long-term viability of their investments.

Key to our approach is collaborative work with communities, consumers, merchants, and developers to achieve healthy regional economic development and lasting community prosperity. We aim to break the traditional paradigm of commercial project renewal.

Setting a New Stage for Community

RIOS believes that communities are important places that connect people and shape regional culture. The “Shui On Excellent Community Development Report” from Shui On Group also emphasizes that a community serves as a home for urban residents to live, shape themselves, and realize their values. It functions as an open social space closely connected to the outside world and comprises a highly developed internal network of human habitation.

A series of cultural activities are introduced to unite people and create a sustainable fashion business ecosystem.

Over 20 years ago, Shui On Group and American architect Ben Wood co-created Shanghai Xintiandi, which changed China’s attitude towards historic buildings amid rapid urbanization. In promoting the evolution of the city’s iconic landmark, Shui On not only launched a new round of business renewal by adjusting business formats and brand-driven retail upgrades, strategically allocating catering areas, and increasing the number of brands in the mall, but also offered a significant perspective by enriching citizens’ cultural life experiences. A series of cultural activities including Shanghai Fashion Week, New Year’s Eve Countdown, Design Shanghai, World Music Asia, Performing Arts New World, and Shining Shanghai were introduced to unite people and create a sustainable fashion business ecosystem.

Just as Yang Lei, deputy general manager of the product development department of Shui On Xintiandi, said: “A healthy and sustainable community ecology not only involves merchants, but also many co-builders. In the future, urban renewal must integrate more communities to participate to achieve common prosperity. 

Years later, in downtown Los Angeles, the ROW DTLA project was developed by Atlas Capital Group. RIOS re-imagined the 30-acre campus by embracing its historic character and using a light-touch method to maintain the site’s authentic industrial details.

The team transformed four long-row warehouse-style buildings into 1.3 million square feet of multi-functional creative office space, over 100 retail shops and restaurants, and 30,000-square-feet of space for the arts, unleashing unlimited inspiration, surprises, and unique experiences while creating a destination neighborhood full of vitality both day and night.

A design that combines commercial and office spaces can also maximize the efficiency of the company’s research and development, sales, and operations departments. As Adam Block, Co-Owner of Farmshop, said: “One of the unique benefits of having our offices under the same roof as our wholesale bakery is the opportunity for seamless collaboration and efficiency, ultimately allowing us to better serve our customers. With ROW DTLA as our partner, we are well-positioned to continue our trajectory of growth.” 

Nowadays, ROW DTLA has become a hub for various cultural events, moments, and film and television productions, attracting attention for its dynamic atmosphere, creative community, and versatile spaces. From emerging startups to established national and international brands, the collaborative atmosphere and sense of community at ROW DTLA make it one of the most attractive business centers and lifestyle destinations in Los Angeles.

Billions of dollars of developmental investment are complete or underway surrounding ROW DTLA in Los Angeles’ Arts District, including film studios, multifamily, and mixed-use development. This is an indicator that the synergy of urban regeneration comes from integrated community.

Consumer Social Scene

Creating thriving, ideal destinations for enterprises, and building rich social scenes and high-quality public spaces for consumers, is the focus of another RIOS urban regeneration project. The Campus at Horton, one of the largest adaptive reuse projects in the US, creates a state-of-the-art campus and innovation district in downtown San Diego. 

Originally designed in 1985 as one of the world’s first outdoor shopping malls, the renovation design drew on the classic elements of the original retail architecture, integrating its cultural heritage with the creative office and commercial formats of the new era. This approach encourages social activities in its unique environment, bringing consumers a refreshing and immersive experience. 

The outdoor corridor that once connected pedestrians with stores has been transformed into an inviting circulation “canyon” that bisects the site and connects the vibrant Gaslamp Quarter with a community park and district. This revitalization clarifies the relationships between various elements within the campus and effectively promotes the connection between commercial brands, cultural institutions, and consumers. Additionally, RIOS transformed the existing square into over 4,000 m² of green space, enhancing the ecological benefits and encouraging social interaction.

The essence of these urban regeneration projects is to build dialogues between people, nature, and cities.

Shui On, which pays close attention to urban spaces, also hopes that the real estate industry can integrate high-quality urban public spaces with people’s lives, work, leisure, and entertainment, creating a pleasant and immersive urban experience for consumers. In Yang Lei’s view, the essence of these urban regeneration projects is to build dialogues between people, nature, and cities. Taking Xintiandi as an example, the positioning of “social destination” has been placed at the core to achieve street vitality and functional iteration. Shui On not only inspires infinite creativity and social vitality through unbounded space design, but also launched the “CREATORS 100” program, bringing new ideas into neighborhoods and cultivating a creative ecosystem through the participation of young creatives.

We also notice that “commerce scenarios” have become increasingly important in the Internet era. Whether it is positioning and promoting of new product development, ensuring user satisfaction, or providing precise services, all these activities require appropriate spatial settings. Some even use the phrase “Scene is King” instead of “Content is King” to emphasize the importance of scenes. Therefore, high-quality urban scenes and their cohesive audience can help brands achieve self-renewal and iteration, showcasing long-term vitality.

Moreover, the new way of constructing urban scenes can also promote communication and linkage between brands, incubate a healthy and harmonious ecosystem, and promote the common prosperity of community commerce. For example, most of ROW DTLA’s street tenants are original niche brands, such as highly personalized galleries, art spaces, coffee shops, small pubs, bookstores, and boutique clothing stores, attracting trendy enthusiasts to explore.

“ROW DTLA is a really unique mix of elements for Los Angeles – it has great pedestrian energy and so much to explore. We really love the element of surprise, delight and discovery it offers, and it mirrors how we want people to feel about their encounter with our brand. The food, events, unique stores (and easy parking!) all make it a place you want to spend time.” Michelle Paul Toney, President and co-founder of Morrow Soft Goods, expressed high praise for ROW DTLA. To achieve these goals, a multidisciplinary collaborative team is essential. In the design process, RIOS’ architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, experience design, and urban planning teams worked closely together to create a unique experience.

In addition, ROW DTLA regularly hosts local events with brands and partners, such as art festivals, film festivals, sports events, brand forums, and specialty commercial markets. These events stimulate innovation through communication and collaboration, transforming this 30-acre campus into downtown LA’s vibrant creative hub.

Innovation Centers for Lifestyle

Whether it is Xintiandi, ROW DTLA or The Campus at Horton, these urban renewal cases have a common characteristic: taking human needs as the starting point of research, and conducting community renovation through data analysis and lifestyle research. This includes planning and precisely positioning content from a human perspective, using that content to stimulate the city’s vitality, and creatively addressing both material and spiritual life needs to ultimately achieve lifestyle innovation. Among these efforts, advocating for a “low carbon” lifestyle is a shared responsibility and mission of RIOS and our partners.

At RIOS, we strive to adopt “low-tech” sustainable design methods to achieve commercial and aesthetic values while promoting energy conservation. Data shows that if ROW DTLA’s total 120,000 square meters of office space were rebuilt, it would produce approximately 60,000,000 kilograms of embedded carbon, which would take 80 years to offset. The adaptive reuse buildings, by preserving its core and shell, typically helps reduce embodied carbon by approximately 40%. In The Campus at Horton project, RIOS not only used industry-leading methods and systems to achieve the goal of Net Zero Carbon Footprint in the office space, but also integrated solar energy, an all-electric central heating plant, and blackwater reuse. The system is expected to reuse approximately 7.5 million gallons of water annually. All these efforts have encouraged people to embrace a lifestyle of health and sustainability.

These urban renewal cases have a common characteristic: taking human needs as the starting point of research, and conducting community renovation through data analysis and lifestyle research.

For Shui On, which regards “sustainable development” as the core of future cities, excellent communities must achieve sustainability through three key indicators: continuity of urban context and functions, people-oriented community space planning, and low-carbon, healthy community operations. Shui On’s interpretation of the first two indicators has long been known. Initiatives such as “Xintiandi Green Pact” signed with catering tenants, the country’s first dark green office building leased jointly with the Green Building Council, and the country’s first “GO 4 GREEN Innovative Tenant Green Financial Services” launched jointly with Industrial Bank and other projects, reflect Shui On’s commitment to low-carbon development and sustainable community operations.

Urban regeneration not only activates spaces and sites, but also creativity, people’s hearts and enthusiasm for future life.

Urban regeneration not only activates spaces and sites but also sparks creativity and enthusiasm for future living. RIOS, with extensive experience in revitalizing various typologies across industries—from workplaces to entertainment venues and mixed-use campuses—brings a technical and innovative approach to projects through multidisciplinary design. Our goal is to continue collaborating with real estate developers to bring new experiences to China’s future urban regeneration efforts.