Toward a Disciplinary Knowledge–Led Approach for Sustainable Heritage-Based Art Districts in Shanghai

Recent scholarship highlights growing interest in the relationship between cultural heritage and sustainable development. However, existing research predominantly focuses on pluralistic governance systems in the West, which limits applicability in authoritarian contexts and leaves evaluation mechanisms underdeveloped. Addressing this gap, this paper proposes the Evidence-Based Disciplinary Assessment (EBDA) approach, a guiding framework that integrates research evidence, historical narratives, and legacies to broaden heritage recognition across five dimensions: cultural, social, environmental, economic, and institutional-governance. The framework demonstrates how disciplinary knowledge valuation can contribute to sustainable heritage in historic art districts. We digitally map spatial clusters of 1347 artists’ residences and identify neighborhoods central to Shanghai’s Republican-period art scene. Through case studies of two existing neighborhoods and qualitative interviews with local officials, we show how evidence-based disciplinary narratives foster neighborhood pride, support adaptive reuse, attract cultural tourism, and align with governance frameworks to promote long-term preservation. Nonetheless, EBDA has limited relevance for social sustainability, particularly in enabling community-led conservation and supporting emerging artists. This hybrid model contributes to both theoretical debates and practical strategies for historic district development.