Abstract

The Lilong neighborhoods of the Shanghai Old Concession reveal the origins of spatial forms and living patterns in modern Chinese settlements and provide insights into cross-cultural planning system transfers. Utilizing the "institution-life" analytical framework of neo-institutionalism, this paper analyzes the planning systems in the International Settlement and French Concession, alongside the daily life responses of Chinese residents. The dynamic mechanisms of spatial evolution in Shanghai Lilong under complex political and social environments are examined. This analysis, supported by a morphological study of five typical neighborhoods in the eastern section of Yang-King-Pang Area, reveals that western institutional experiences and local Chinese living habits developed in parallel and gradually penetrated, contributing to the early formation of Lilong neighborhoods. However, direct interaction between the two was minimal. The Lilong neighborhood represents both the outcome of their development and a buffer between the institutional realm and the action realm in case of potential conflict. Its morphological evolution records the creation and resolution of conflicts in power relations.