The restoration of old buildings in major cities in the world involves a lot of government expenditures. This money should be used for new housing and road development. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
I completely disagree with the view that government funding for restoring old urban buildings should be reallocated entirely to new housing and road construction, as heritage preservation delivers irreplaceable long-term value alongside necessary infrastructure development.
First, historic buildings are core carriers of a city’s cultural identity, generating sustained economic and social returns that new infrastructure cannot match. Many restored old structures function as cultural landmarks that drive tourism, create local jobs, and foster residents’ sense of belonging. For example, the renovated shikumen (stone-gate) neighbourhoods in Shanghai, such as Xintiandi, preserve the city’s unique 20th-century residential culture while supporting thriving cultural and commercial sectors, attracting millions of visitors annually and bringing far more long-term tax revenue than the cost of their restoration. Demolishing these sites to build standard housing or roads would permanently erase irreplaceable cultural assets.
Second, well-planned restoration and new infrastructure development are not mutually exclusive, and balanced budget allocation can meet both demands. Governments can set tiered protection standards: prioritise urgent repairs for heritage-listed buildings of high cultural value, adaptively reuse less protected old structures for affordable housing to reduce new construction costs, and allocate appropriate funds to expand roads and build new residential areas in underdeveloped urban districts. For instance, in Singapore, restored colonial shophouses coexist with newly built public housing and upgraded road networks, meeting both housing/transport needs and preserving the city’s multi-cultural historical character.
Admittedly, new housing and roads are critical for addressing rapid urban population growth and easing traffic congestion, but abandoning old building restoration would lead to permanent cultural loss and missed economic opportunities. A balanced budget strategy is the optimal approach for sustainable urban development.