Continuing heritage bolsters iconic capitals

Amid rapid urban modernization and renewal, developing and protecting historic cities have never been at odds. Heritage protection should work in step with how cities develop and better fit modern life, experts and officials said at a parallel session of the 2026 Beijing Culture Forum on Wednesday.

Under the theme "Conservation of Historic City in Urban Development", the forum shared cutting-edge ideas and Beijing's practices on topics such as the holistic conservation of ancient capitals, urban renewal and the living transmission of cultural heritage.

Sima Hong, vice-mayor of Beijing, said that protecting ancient capitals is a common challenge worldwide. Well-known ancient capitals such as Cairo, Rome, Paris, and London all face the same difficult question during urbanization: how to balance protection and development.

"That is why, in protecting the Beijing Central Axis, we have always worked to move urban development, improvements in people's livelihoods, and heritage protection forward together," said Sima, adding that efforts to enable residents living in heritage areas to lead modern lives are always at the forefront.

Carolina Castellanos, a special adviser to the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region, said that the concept of a historic city's heritage has evolved from isolated monuments and sites to the whole urban landscape. "The street, the skyline, the view, the practices, and the traditions all carry value," she added.

The approach to protecting urban heritage has thus shifted from "freezing the city in the past to managing change in living cities, and from decisions made by experts alone to people-centered stewardship, in which residents are recognized as custodians".

Shi Xiaodong, president of the Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning and Design, shared a vivid example of how his team, while planning Beijing Central Axis protection, helped the value of heritage and residents' everyday customs coexist.

Many residents in single-story courtyard houses in hutong alleyways have long kept pigeons. If pigeon coops are not handled well, they can spoil the conservation area's aesthetics. Shi's team talked with pigeon-keeping residents and worked with them on better designs and locations for the coops. This respected the residents' hobby, protected the neighborhood environment, and kept the pigeons' unique whistles in Beijing.

"The crisp sound of pigeon whistles is both unique to old Beijing and an urban memory we are committed to preserving," said Shi.

Frederic Masviel, head of the Paris heritage and architecture department in France, said the essence of protection in cities does not mean freezing heritage.

He said protecting Paris' historic axis today means facing challenges such as tourism impacts and climate change. While preserving the axis' character, building heights and scenic views, his team is improving public spaces to meet modern needs such as walking and cycling.

"The historic axis of Paris is therefore not simply a monument to be contemplated. It is still an active urban structure whose continuity depends precisely on our ability to transform it without losing its meaning," said Masviel.

Heba Aziz, UNESCO chair for World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Management in the Arab region, said heritage protection should be part of urban development.

In April, the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria removed a tram system that had run along the city's axis for 164 years, sparking strong opposition from local residents. The tram was more than transport — it was a shared memory linking generations and residents, said Aziz.

"We should also value not just monuments in urban development, and reject the idea of reducing historic spaces to a collection of isolated buildings," she said.