Abstract
This paper develops a multi-scalar indicator framework that bridges macro sustainability goals with the realities of historic district regeneration, focusing on the Laomendong Historic District in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. The study translates top-down policies into meso to micro level design indicators that capture the spatial, social, and cultural dimensions of sustainability. Using a mixed-methodology approach, it combines policy content analysis to identify macro-narratives with grounded theory-based social media analysis to reveal bottom-up perceptions and everyday experiences. The resulting framework demonstrates how sustainable design can move beyond macroeconomic and environmental metrics, embracing a broader range of considerations. Findings suggest that while macro agendas emphasize economic growth and climate resilience, true sustainability emerges through micro-scale practices, inclusive public spaces, walkability, participatory management, and daily ecological behaviors. This study redefines design impact assessment as a context-sensitive, people-centered process.
Keywords
Sustainability; Historic districts; Multi-scalar evaluation; Policy vision
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2241
Citation
Liu, C., Wu, Y., and Guo, W. (2026) Bridging macro sustainability and everyday life: Developing a meso–micro indicator framework for sustainable design in historic districts, The case of laomendong, nanjing, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2241
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Bridging macro sustainability and everyday life: Developing a meso–micro indicator framework for sustainable design in historic districts, The case of laomendong, nanjing
This paper develops a multi-scalar indicator framework that bridges macro sustainability goals with the realities of historic district regeneration, focusing on the Laomendong Historic District in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. The study translates top-down policies into meso to micro level design indicators that capture the spatial, social, and cultural dimensions of sustainability. Using a mixed-methodology approach, it combines policy content analysis to identify macro-narratives with grounded theory-based social media analysis to reveal bottom-up perceptions and everyday experiences. The resulting framework demonstrates how sustainable design can move beyond macroeconomic and environmental metrics, embracing a broader range of considerations. Findings suggest that while macro agendas emphasize economic growth and climate resilience, true sustainability emerges through micro-scale practices, inclusive public spaces, walkability, participatory management, and daily ecological behaviors. This study redefines design impact assessment as a context-sensitive, people-centered process.